Anthony Jucha

Sydney based lawyer Anthony Jucha has never played it safe. Formerly from Adelaide, Jucha first publicly declared himself artistically in a series of articles published in dB Magazine that found him humorously exploring Adelaide by bus, auditioning for 'Puppetry Of The Penis' and gate crashing a high level government arms convention by simply just walking past security and getting much further than anticipated.

Taking that same haphazard approach in past Fringe performances, Jucha returns to his hometown with his latest comedy stage act 'Tinged With Guilt'; a show that highlights one Baxter Centre detainee's ongoing plight and now sees this renegade artist put so much more on line.

"This guy," Jucha says of his client of up to four years, Sam, "was political and vocal before I came along. He used to publish a newsletter talking about conditions at the centre and he's been in the press and on television. He's still an active activist, but there is still that strategic call as to whether you go public with this stuff," he explains. "The relevant areas of law, being human rights and freedom of information, are actually very compatible with talking about it."

He clarifies. "I mean, there is plenty to the story that we won't be telling and I think there's a base line strategic decision as to how we approach the story and what we say and what we don't. Of course, I can't seriously say that this exercise is primarily about any legal strategy, because if that's what it was about you'd do it other ways. You'd make a documentary or you'd write a book, you'd tell it in much more detail. And we have jokingly talked about that," he continues.

"That's because the story just gets more amazing as you go on. I talked about some refugee stuff in my last Fringe show and I seriously thought the whole case would be over very soon afterwards. Now, two years later at best maybe we'll be done this year," he sighs.

"I feel some conflict with doing this show," Jucha nervously admits. "I do worry that it could turn bad for me in many ways. And that concern is primarily about my relationships with my clients, and what could happen to them and me. It's unconventional to take these risks," he adds. "But you take matters line by line and by making it a comedy you can hide all the serious stuff beneath the laughs. The problem is," he allows, "I live in a different reality to the people that rule and regulate my industry.

"But the law is a broad church and there have been many eccentric lawyers before me. These are terrible stories, and important stories," he stresses. "In the context of my life I get those multilayered emotions of guilt and resentment and I feel the tragedy and the comedy," he expresses, "and also the maddening craziness of bureaucracy. It's a satirical show on current events but it's also personal."

Steve Jones

Anthony Jucha performs 'Tinged With Guilt' at The Wheatsheaf on Thurs 6 to Sat 8 March