Reviewed: By Jake Freeman
Normally, it takes around 4–6 years at most to complete a law degree. For Joseph Green, it took a bewildering 18 years to finish, only to work in law for a short time, then resign to go to clown school.
This Is His Story
It is 2025, and the mushroom murder trial has taken centre stage within Australia’s legal system, propelling the woman at the centre of it (Erin Patterson) into the public eye. Joseph Green was working as an associate to the judge in this case, where he vividly recalls his unique, firsthand experience of the case and his interactions with Erin Patterson. In Mushroom Lady & Me, audiences go behind the scenes of the Supreme Court’s administrative processes and Joseph’s decision to make the transition from law to comedy.
It’s a cold, wet and drizzly Sunday night as I make my way up the poorly lit stairs at House of Maximon, a venue tucked away in a dark little alleyway just off Chinatown. The support act for that night’s show was rising comedic star Nadun Hetti. Originally from Sri Lanka and now an Australian citizen, Nadun gave a brief but humorous rapid-fire monologue on the differences between the two countries. His biggest laugh was how, now living in Australia for almost a decade, the Sri Lankan brutal militant organisation, the Tamil Tigers, sounds more like an AFL team than a terrorist group.
Joseph Green then sprinted out onto the small stage. Green wasted no time the moment he stepped out. What followed next was nearly 40 minutes of remarkable, humorous, and surprising storytelling of his life and the situations he found himself in during his time studying law and moving into comedy.
I was very impressed with Joseph’s performance, especially given the amount of dialogue he had to remember, as well as the staging and acting involved when he told his experiences. Green is a true storyteller, and you really feel like you are there with him during his adventures and encounters.
Joseph kept the laughter rolling throughout the night. Even when some of his jokes fell flat, his follow-up responses still managed to keep the audience in fits of laughter in their chairs. There’s no doubt how much he feeds off the audience. The show was not only funny but also educational, offering a glimpse into the legal world and its processes without the danger of it lapsing into a boring legal studies class or seminar.
Having attended another legal comedy festival show earlier in the week, which was very hit and miss, I was concerned that this performance would follow the same path. Fortunately, Joseph Green’s Mushroom Lady & Me is a wonderful act that has you laughing from the moment it starts till the moment you leave, with the audience wanting to hear more of Joseph’s wild stories and adventures.
Joseph Green’s Mushroom Lady & Me is playing at House of Maximon on Level 1, 16 Corrs Lane, just off Little Bourke Street in the Melbourne CBD. The show’s runtime is 50 minutes and contains coarse language and adult themes. To buy tickets to Joseph Green’s Mushroom Lady & Me festival shows, go to: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/mushroom-lady-me/
