Hear Ye Hear Ye: 118th Libel a Massive Success

If Ye have not Heard through GroupMe decree or good ol’ fashioned word-of-mouth, this weekend saw the 118th annual Libel Show. From Thursday to Saturday night, hundreds of comedy-starved students packed Caplin Auditorium to the brim in search of jokes, biting commentary, musical prowess, and Kirkland boxed wine.  

After the opening overtures filled the space with the sweet sounds of ABBA, the show began with a prompt address to the elephant in the room: the University of Virginia Presidential selection process, responding to the exit of former president Jim Ryan ’92. Analogizing the process to a beauty pageant, Libel came right out of the gate with not only a satirization of the past year’s administrative drama, but also a shoutout to one of the Law School’s most talked about alumni—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ’82. Along with impressions of Paul Mahoney and Scott Beardsley, the opening skit was effective in setting the tone for the entire night. All in all, the production featured a relatively modest amount of political humor, given the current state of the world. In fact, the strongest political leaning displayed by the Libel writing team seemed to be their strict adherence to ACABC (All Cops Are Background Characters).  

Source: Benvin Lozada

Though the weekend’s performances featured a wide variety of subjects, victims, and topics, the writers also included a consistent through-line in many of the sketches. The second skit of the production set up the “Town Criers”: a set of old-timey declarators of GroupMe messages who appeared in random sketches with a “Hear Ye, Hear Ye!” and an announcement of parking enforcement or Ryan Keane’s ’26 shenanigans. 

As is tradition, the opening show on Thursday night also featured the Faculty Rebuttal. This number fosters a degree of fairness and allows the primary targets of Libel’s nonsense to answer for their deeds. This year, the faculty astutely picked up on what was unequivocally the biggest gripe of the year: the adoption of Exam4. This topic was mentioned in at least four different sketches throughout the night. While 1Ls have no standards and thus are fairly ambivalent about the new test-taking system, 2-and-3Ls have been planning a coup ever since they were first exposed to the software last finals season. In response, representatives from the UVA Law Faculty—including George Cohen and Kevin Cope—took up the tune of beloved Beauty and the Beast number “Be Our Guest” to offer a simple, desperate plea: Take Our Test. The addition of a kick line during the finale was, admittedly, a nice touch, and it almost made up for the fact that I had no access to a timer during my exams last semester. 

Indeed, animosity towards Exam4 colored a good portion of the show’s segments, but none more than “Exam Scroll4.” This feat of costuming, set design, and acting took the audience back in time to the age of Greek philosophers. There, we witnessed the trials withstood by ancient UVA Law students as they wrestled with the likes of “Dean Dugasicus” (Noah Bray ’28) and the oracle “Anne Coughlinites”(Alexis Pudvan ’28). Bray and Pudvan’s performances in this sketch were electric and were absolutely one of the highlights of Act II. There was hardly a need to ask: “Do we like it?” The roar of the crowd was answer enough. 

Pudvan took the stage by storm on Thursday night, with impressions and character acting extending to her role as Professor Gregory Mitchell in a scene closely resembling beloved Saturday Night Live sketch “Close Encounters.” For Pudvan, this was far from her first experience on a stage. Rather, the weekend’s shows were a welcome homecoming for her. 

“It was the first time I had done any theatre in five years. I was actually very nervous,” said Pudvan. “I realized how much I missed making people laugh, and doing it with some of the funniest people I have ever met.” 

Pudvan’s experience was reportedly overwhelmingly positive, both on and off the stage.  

“Everyone involved is so creative, and would try new things out every rehearsal (and even every show)! It was so fun to hear how different audiences reacted to the jokes that were tailored to them. It speaks to the creative freedom we all enjoyed, and made every night so exciting.” 

Of course, Libel isn’t solely an opportunity to display students’ acting skills. Music forms the backbone of the Libel institution. The band provides the lifeblood of the show—the rhythm and melodies that make the performance feel truly alive. Without the incredible musical talents of our fellow students, we would never have gotten “1L Dirtbag” by Matt Nino ’28, a.k.a. the song of the summer.  

Music is a deeply human concept. It is fundamental to societies around the world due to its ability to give voice to experiences and emotions that can’t be properly captured in spoken words. Love. Joy. Grief. Being both liberal and attracted to a FedSoc member. Brad Berklich ’27 and June Christen ’27 captured the inherent tumult of the latter emotion with their parody of “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent. The two singers’ voices rivaled those of Idina Menzel and Tracie Thoms themselves, all while dripping with a distinct sense of “F**k, really? That one?” Truly a feat of musical theater artistry. 

Berklich reflected on his experience in Libel, stating: “I think we’re really fortunate that the Law School has the Libel Show as a longstanding tradition, and that both the students and the faculty still appreciate our silly jokes and singing.” 

Source: Benvin Lozada

Another musical highlight of the evening came in the form of a parody of the titular song of Wicked: For Good by Morgan Gibbs ’26—one of Libel’s directors—and Leanna Rathbun ’26. Drawing on the common experience of job-search frustrations, this number followed an unfortunate student struggling with never-ending screeners and begging Lauren Parker ’08 for help. It had—in my totally unqualified opinion—some of the best vocals of the entire production. Gibbs’ and Rathburn’s performances brought a tear to my eye and marked a beautiful continuation of the Libel tradition of fueling Lauren Parker’s cult following. 

Gibbs described how Libel’s impact reaches beyond the auditorium: “I think Libel is so special because it brings people together from a variety of different backgrounds and areas of the law school. People who normally wouldn’t interact with one another in their everyday lives are suddenly making fools of themselves on stage together, writing skits together, and playing in the band together. The show unites people in this big, crazy celebration of creativity, joy, and laughter. No matter who you are or where you’ve been, Libel can always be your home.” 

This modest and humble Libel review only covers a few of the incredible segments from the show, and it does not even begin to encompass the full scope of this weekend’s performances. The sheer force of talent radiating from this year’s cast and crew was overwhelming. Not only was the production value of this year’s show absolutely excellent, but the energy of the audience was extremely impressive. At the close of the evening, many 1Ls expressed the opinion that the show far exceeded their (admittedly) low expectations (anyone who has been forced to sit through a sibling’s talent show can sympathize with the pessimism).  

Libel survives by the contributions of passionate students and Law School community members. If you were equally impressed (or at least mildly entertained) by this year’s Libel show, consider getting involved next year. Benvin Lozada ’28 describes the benefits he’s gained from his involvement. 

“When I toured the law school as an admitted student, another admit asked my tour guide what their biggest regret in law school was: their answer was ‘not doing 1L Libel,’” he says. “I walked in with no theater experience, had a phenomenal time, left with barely any theater experience, and got to shower in unearned praise by my classmates who felt obligated to say I did a great job. Cannot possibly recommend it highly enough.” 

Pudvan adds, “I can’t wait to be part of the show next year, and I know there are some more 1Ls who better be up there too!” 

Be sure to check out the show’s Instagram page for updates and information on next year’s 119th Libel Show.