By Jessica Brown '10
Contributor

Last week’s three night run of Libelwood marked the 101st year of the Libel Show, the Law School’s annual comedy revue. Billed in the weekly events email as punchier, faster, and shorter than last year’s hundredth anniversary show, this year’s production delivered with two and a half hours of good (mostly) clean fun. Thanks to the hard work of Directors Rob Painter and Michael Warner, Producer Chase Johnson, Head Writer Amy Saltzman, and over a hundred talented, dedicated students that created and preformed in the show, Libelwood was well worth the price of admission.

The show ran Wednesday through Friday, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and curtains up at 8 p.m. Both before the show began and during the fifteen minute intermission, there was plenty of beer and snack mix to keep the crowd happy. The refreshments were included in the $15 price of admission, and the distribution was thankfully well organized and efficient. By the time the curtains went up, the crowd was appropriately rowdy and engaged.

The show opened with a pre-recorded video introduction that offered the familiar cell phone and emergency exit information that often precedes a performance. Unexpectedly, the announcement was delivered by Law & Order’s Sam Waterston (a.k.a. Jack McCoy), whose appearance got the audience cheering only moments after the show began. The energy level that was reached in the first moments of the show carried throughout the evening, a testament to the enthusiasm and skill of the performers and the willingness of the audience to be entertained.

The first real number of the show was a song titled “Libelwood,” set to the tune of “La Vie Boheme” from the musical Rent. The song did a good job of introducing the crowd to both the tone of the show and to some of the topics that would be featured throughout the remainder of the evening. The themes of the show presented in the introductory act included some perennial favorites such as softball and Feb Club, as well as some more topical issues, including the declining economy and bans on laptops in class.

Hard as it is to choose, my favorite sketch of the first act would have to be the song “3L,” which described a day in the life of a third-year student who has been lucky enough to secure permanent employment. Set to the tune of Beck’s “Loser,” the song expressed in words and in costuming the exact level of slackerdom that I aspire to achieve next year, though I use the term “achieve” in its broadest sense.

One of the other highlights of the first act was a hilarious song about the perils of fraternization between peer advisors and their advisees. Such comedy might have hit too close to home for some, as indicated by the embarrassed sounding “I want to die” uttered by a girl sitting two rows behind me.

After the short intermission, the second act of Thursday night’s performance began with the traditional professor response. This year’s performance consisted of three songs, one focusing on the ban of laptops in classrooms from the professors’ point of view, one about the joys of being a law student, and a chilling tune entitled “The Economy, It is a Tankin’.” The singing was led by Professor George Cohen, and was spirited if not well-rehearsed. Some of the other professors who participated included George Geis, Josh Bowers, Alex Johnson, and Chris Sprigman (the fact that I was only able to recognize approximately one fifth of the professors on stage indicates that I may be missing something by spending most of my time at Copeley rather than in Withers-Brown).

While I enjoyed the professor response, the ensuing presentation of “The Real Professor Response” put on by the students was perhaps the most well-received number of the show. The premise was a song about Civil Procedure done in the style of Beauty and the Beast, and the sketch provided a vehicle for some fiercely good professor impersonations. Casey Lee’s spot on impersonation of Professor Sprigman sent chills down my spine. With cuffed jeans and coiffed hair, the physical resemblance was good, but the true genius was in Lee’s imitation of Sprigman’s mannerisms and speaking style. Really, it was brilliant. The other student impersonations were also very good, and Katie Worden’s Woolhandler was excellently done. I fully expect to see Professor Woolhandler frolicking in the halls of Slaughter with a song on her lips.

One of the other notable performances in the second act included a music video by the Con Law Boyz—a rap group comprised of Johnson, Painter, and Warner—entitled “Con Luv.” Likely containing the most “law school” humor of any segment in the show, the high production values and the catchy lyrics made it a real winner.

I also really enjoyed the short “Trial of Achilles” in which the actors mimicked the attire and positions of the strange mural of half-nude Greeks that hangs in the hallway near Scott Commons. A good portion of my enjoyment came from the fact that former SBA President Ryan Quillian was among the performers. Apologies to current President Dan Rosenthal, next year just won’t be the same.

No review of Libelwood would be complete without recognizing the Libel Show Band. The band was composed of many talented musicians who kept the enthusiasm of the audience high while the actors and stage managers changed between sketches. The set list included songs from a variety of musical genres among them “Runaround Sue,” “Zoot Suit Riot,” “Live and Let Die,” and “Torn.”

All in all, the show was a very enjoyable way to spend an evening. For those of you unlucky enough to have missed this year’s show, check libelshow.com and YouTube for some clips of past performances. And don’t miss it next year.