13/09/2026

God bless the theatre-law kids …. SURG Reviews the 2026 Sydney Uni Law Revue

God bless the theatre kids: Even through the throes of a law degree, when there is a will, there’s demonstrably a way. The Sydney University Law Revue has long been a staple of the University of Sydney’s revue lineup and this year’s production, Now You Sue Me, Now You Don’t, was another strong addition to this history. Whilst I expected more magic (sue me, why don’t you,) it still made for a hilarious display of young talent. 

The band took us through the entire night and they were the standout for me. The incredibly gifted group played everything from ‘Stateside’ by Pinkpantheress to ‘I Put a Spell on You’ by Nina Simone and was truly an unexpected treat. 

The show opened with a parody of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’, called ‘5 to 9’, a lamentation on the insanity of being a law intern. It was a funny and timely song, not only because of the growing anxieties of the dreaded clerkship stage, but because of Ms Parton’s death the day prior. It was a fitting tribute and excellent opening for the show whose groove and wit would be reprised in other fantastic parodies: the highlights of the evening. 

Act One was the strongest act of the night, but fear not, Act Two still brought the laughs.. Another timely skit was the Harry Potter-themed parody of Chris Hansen’s To Catch a Predator, with the film starring Robert Pattison, Primetime, set to be released in late September. Not particularly related to the law, but still a funny scene that imagined the fantasy franchise in a way I’d never considered. Another non-law-related skit that I found to be entertaining was the Quentin the foot doctor skit, rightfully taking gross aim at Quentin Tarantino and his alleged foot fetish. Although these skits were funny, I was left wishing that there was more law-related humour. 

With that said, the Gina Reinhart and Pauline Hanson parodies left me with much to desire, both in stage time and in their performances. Unfortunately, this Reinhart was not at Magda Szubanski level just yet, but was still given its all. Hanson was portrayed as a blabbering idiot, which I wouldn’t say is an incorrect parody, but again, not at the level of the classic Pauline Pantsdown. The ‘Beauty School Dropout’ parody ‘Private School Dropkick’ was another highly entertaining entry in the songbook of the night, gaining many laughs from me having met many of these archetypal boys named-and-shamed in the song. Lucky for the cast, they did pre-empt the criticisms that they were (or potentially still are) those very same private school dropkicks. The Liberal Party Net Zero women skit was hilarious and well written. I do wish the Angus Taylor impersonator made a reference to the party leader’s infamous Facebook comment, but the Budgie Smuggler-clad, onion-totting Tony Abbott certainly made up for any losses. Act One closed with a Vladimir Putin-themed reimagining of the classic Boney M. tune ‘Rasputin’ which contained some clunky lyrics replete with Russian accents, but on the brighter side, some fantastic dance moves. 

At the end of Act One, I was left feeling sufficiently entertained, but I was hoping that the cast would project more. At the fault of the performers or the venue ––who is to say –– it was a struggle to make out their lines at times. But the vibes were high in the foyer as people lined up for drinks. We were ready for round two. 

As I mentioned earlier, Act Two was not as consistently funny as Act One, but still packed in some intense one-two punches. It began with a retelling of the current Murdoch family drama to the tune of ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ by Queen, featuring, of course, the fantastic band and some killer voices. Unfortunately, a couple of less memorable skits followed. Those that did stick out to me were more irreverent and dark –– with the frontrunner being a parody of Palantir’s Alex Karp selling his new search engine ‘Netan-yahoo’. It was dark and one of those bits of comedy that made you unsure if you should be laughing, but its lampooning of Karp and war criminal Netanyahu was just what the night needed. The skits with a little more bite were truly a standout. The ‘LLB’ parody of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ was another necessary self-aware dig at being a law student who, consciously or not, thinks they’re just a little better than everyone else. Being a non-law student and seeing this in some parts of the cohort, I recognised this as a welcome mockery that was not only funny, but again supported by talented musicians and singers. 

The show closed with a song called ‘The Labor Show’ which was a fun number to end the revue, even if it was a little clunky with the words at times and hard to hear the singers over the band. Overall, the revue was a very entertaining way to spend a Thursday night and I commend the cast, crew and musicians for putting on a very entertaining slate of performances. Even though at times the chuckles were a little weak, I still found the performance to be smart and witty. God bless the theatre-law kids, you’ve done it again. 

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