I have an irrational hatred of Ryan Gosling. The modern man can no longer wear a leather jacket with skinny jeans without trying to look like the main character from Drive, and this is a shame. However an even worse shame would be to miss out on Law Law Land, which contains very little Gosling but lots of laughs, lots of drama, and just enough nudity.
Law Law Land is an all-encompassing cavalcade of comedy, with a truly lavish number of skits that demonstrate, despite their reputation, law students are normal people with a sense of humour who and totally in touch with the hoi polloi! All jokes aside, the range and variety of performance and comedy on show was impressive. Some standouts included the Wiggles struggling with existential dread, a porno film set within the Reserve Bank of Australia, and Disney villains singing about reclaiming their sexuality. From an execution standpoint, Law Law Land cleverly segued between skits — alternating between live-action, pre-recorded videos and voiceover jokes, which really broke up the action and kept the audience engaged. The band also did a superb job, serving up spicy covers of everything from the Daria theme (Splendora’s ‘You’re standing on me neck’) to ‘Take On Me’ by a-ha in between skits.
A particular mention needs to be made of Margery Ai and Samantha Ryu’s spectacular choreography. While the idea of Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull doing a back-to-back dance number is prima facie horrifying, Law Law Land managed to turn such a questionable concept into a feast for the eyes (although maybe not for the thighs – my god, those splits were intense!)
Law Law Land did something that many revues fail to do: they successfully wrote gags that explored the unique character and struggles of studying law at the University of Sydney, without dwelling too far into the realms of in-jokes or niche humour. That being said, the surreal musical number about quoting was a real highlight. It takes real comedic chops to get the audience — including those not used to the quirks of legal citation — whistling over semantics.
Law Law Land exhibits a level of polish normally reserved for professional productions. It is a testament to the students involved that Law Law Land doesn’t ebb or flow in content or energy for over two hours — you truly get your money’s worth. Whilst some skits were more refined than others, Law Law Land is an accomplished body of work, and is something to be proud of. Big shout-outs to directors Liz Jones and Diana Reid and producers Anna Della Marta and Hayden Tonazzi for putting on a night to remember. Get out to the Seymour Centre whilst you still can to catch a thoroughly entertaining show.
