Med Revue’s 2016 production, Medflix and Chill, is the most aptly named revue of this year: the whirlwind of skits mimics the experience of mindlessly flicking through Netflix one lazy afternoon.
From odes to a med student’s non-existent sex life to multiple The Bachelor-style segments, Medflix and Chill coursed through as many pop culture parodies and med student stereotypes as possible, making for a varied show.
There were outstanding displays of talent such as in Samantha Fredman’s performance in a Wicked “Defying Gravity” parody, “I’ll fail Anatomy”. The orchestra, conducted by Derek Feng was excellent, as was the crowd-pleasing dance number, “Zombie”.
However, there were a few things that didn’t quite hit the mark. The Pauline Hanson skit, where the notorious xenophobe had been dissuaded from her views by the power of the Halal Snack Pack, didn’t progress much beyond that initial revelation. Similar too was the expected reference to Harambe. Like many a Netflix show, some tried to marry too many trendy ideas but came across as pandering and forced.
The show was aimed at an audience of fellow med students, but the jokes remained accessible (such is the universal humour of anus jokes). That being said, there was still clever material thrown around. Special mention must go to “Waleed Aly” appearing on stage, literally on a high horse.
The strongest parts of the revue were those when the medical students were just being medical students. Whether it was mocking the med student “stethoscope shot” profile picture or increasing birth rates with “Pokemon Come”, it was in these moments that the cast wasn’t trying to be anyone else or keep up with the other revues – they were laughing at themselves and the world as med students faced with the horror of another decade or so of study.
Like its namesake, Medflix and Chill was a mix of all different acts and characters, but you loved the collection as a whole. It was fun, colourful and honest: a real pleasure to watch. So to directors Tegan Milington, Meredith Grey and Patrick Cook and the rest of the cast, well done and bravo!
