Law Revue Review 2023
The full cast of Law Revue 2023, at the end of their first dress rehearsal earlier in the week.
Disclaimer: This does include a few spoilers don’t come at Canta. If you unsure about going, shut the f*ck up and read this, then buy a ticket.
Every year students studying law at the University of Canterbury have a crack at drama, singing and comedy, holding their annual “Law Revue.”
Each year they endeavor to present a different well-known production and having it run for 28 years and attended by 900 people, you would think they would run out of ideas. Nonetheless, “Grease” was announced.
University of Canterbury Law Revues are known to be a bit controversial, especially after the incident in 2019. With this year being a bit more PC, but at the same time refreshingly out the gate.
The show was made up of short skits, all containing law and classic university student references randomly put together which constantly had me confused. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The dance number remixing Wannabe into “If you wanna be a lawyer.”
The beginning had me unhopeful; the jokes just weren’t landing, heavy breathing was laying into the mics, and I was starting to do the awkward wriggle in my seat. However, it was the show’s first dress rehearsal, and me and another Canta member were the only ones in the audience, so like, fair enough.
My mood quickly changed a few skits in when the stage went dark and the actors started making sex noises on stage, the lights came on and they were just playing tennis don’t worry.
The following skits continued and were full to the brim with roasting Aucklanders, making sex jokes even Canta couldn’t say without getting cancelled, and naked bums. A dog collar was put on an actor who then acted like a dog after he tried to hit on first year's, a eulogy got its own minute to respect the death of MONO, and someone ripped an “up the wa’s.” Boy, was I entertained.
I am not a huge fan of musicals, or dance numbers, but wow. Connie Wynn Williams and Asta Hinton, choreographers of the show out did themselves. God knows how they single-handedly made a bunch of male law students look semi-coordinated. Brittney Spears Gimme more played with law students crawling on the ground, followed soon after by a remake of Beauty school dropout where the cutest lecturer I’ve ever seen got up and sang a solo surrounded by blondes in white tees and feather boas. Every man’s dream.
Don’t get me wrong, a few of the skits left me with my face in my hands, racking my brain to try and understand what was going on. However, this was quickly outnumbered by the number of references and jokes that made me laugh out loud, despite being one of two people sitting smack bang in the middle of audience.
Me and Canta’s Ella Waterreus in the massive crowd at LAWSOCS dress rehearsal rip.
There were a few scenes that I still think about now that deserve honourable mentions, and honestly are worth going to the show just for them.
Firstly, the scene featuring Ben Evans and Ollie Fradd. Dressed up as lecturers, they spoke ‘academic dirty’ to each other before giving in, which I won’t spoil entirely. But wow, props to the two guys who did this, huge respect, you made me cackle.
Some more honourable mentions are Matthew Mcvicar who pretended to be a chair, with another guy sat on him for a whole scene. The guy who flashed his garter and bum after applying for a job at Calendar Girls, and Ben Evans again, who cross-dressed in a hot as fuck little pink number while dancing to Grease Lightning. Werk.
The show left me shocked, surprised, and laughing my ass off. It is not often that people can get away with making jokes about women, really loving the brothers, soggy Weetbix, and politicians having wet dreams. But I guess LAWSOC can.
I also saw more naked dudes in the two hours, than I have seen in the past two years. Big ups to Revue producer Nellie Everson.
If you are tossing up whether or not to go, or you weren’t considering it at all and have just stumbled across this article now because you love Canta and me. Go.
Tickets are only about $20 don’t be stinge, tonight (Saturday 19th) is your last chance to go, grab your tickets here if you aren’t a wuss. There were a few scenes that I still think about now that deserve honourable mentions, and honestly are worth going to the show just for them.
