I walked into the Everest Theatre ready to be quite mean. Like most non-law students at the University of Sydney, I find Law students particularly insufferable. From their incessant complaining about how hard their degree is (I don’t doubt that it is), to wearing full three piece suits to 10am lectures, I was ready to let all my frustrations out at the cast of Law Revue 2019.
On opening night, every single row was full. There was a quiet excitement in the air, whispers of shared cast and executive names buzzed around before the opening number, and though I was leaning towards being negative I couldn’t help but share the joy. In my three years at USyd I have seen many revues and productions, and no matter how ~ bad ~ they might be they are always still incredibly great in so many different ways.
This year USyd Law Revue boasted an impressive cast and executive, a majority of whom were women, with incredible direction by Stephanie Noronha and Floyd Alexander-Hunt. The dynamic duo really strung together a tight revue with a well rounded cast, quirky legal sketches and catchy parodies. From the ever present political motifs, to the standard subtle bullying of anti-vaccers, Law Revue 2019 was a smorgasbord of recurring sketches and wacky costumes that were separated by an engaging live band.
Some highlights of the evening included acting from two of the four assistant directors, Prudence Wilkins Wheat and Noah Vaz. A scene the audience couldn’t stop cackling at involved a poke at the obvious nepotism that we often see from students who study law at the University of Sydney. Robert Clarke and Noah Vaz really stood out in that scene, leaving the audience howling with laughter. Whether you study law at USyd or not, the universality behind a judge letting off a lawyer (who was his son), who was defending a messy and spoilt client (who was the lawyer’s son) obviously resonated. Vaz also stood out in many of the different musical parodies, with one particularly memorable parody of the Queen hit, Another One Bites the Dust being about equity law in “Another Constructive Trust”. Wilkins Wheat also wowed the audience at many different moments, clearly putting her whole energy into every character in any skit, including quite a few as a quirky older woman character.
Law Revue 2019 was the revue for singing this year. The parodies were well rounded, both funny and uncomfortable, as well as being deeply catchy. Special mention goes to Danni Stephenson, whose voice was genuinely quite lovely, even while singing the most ridiculous of lyrics.
Though there were quite a few parodies this year, more traditional sketches like the General Pants and Co. sketch, and the school kid debating sketch really warmed our hearts and definitely made quite a few people scream from laughter. Producers Brigitte Samaha and Simone La Martina should be congratulated for putting together an excellent cast, with varying levels of acting, singing, dancing, and even gymnastic (shout out to Gollum) techniques.
The absolute highlight of Law Revue 2019 was the incredible choreography. Every scene that involved a dance number, whether they be with 3 cast members, to the full ensemble, I could not flaw. Choreographers Maddie Scott, Dale Scutts and Maddy de Dassel were, in my opinion, the most valuable players of the show.
At some points USyd Law Revue 2019 fell flat. However it is important to note that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make a show that runs for two hours. Furthermore, 50% of profits raised by the Revue go to the Redfern Legal Centre. So, maybe #notalllawstudents?
