Dana Lake ‘23
Production Editor
The 113th Libel Show was an absolute joy to watch from start to finish. While Law Weekly likes to keep things light and pithy, I want to make sure this article starts off acknowledging the time and work the participants put into making Libel: The Movie possible. The 112th Libel Show was cancelled due to Corona, upping the pressure to make this year’s virtual event the comeback of the century. Under the direction of Stephanie Metherall ’21 and Jake Sillyman ’21, and produced by Katie Carpenter ’21, this year’s show was a success from start to finish.
Pictured: Chance Maginness '22 as former SBA president Katherine Janes. Photo Courtesy of: The Libel Show.
Libel may tout itself as one of the Law School’s oldest traditions, but it was certainly made much funnier by the work of the Law Weekly Executive Board. I would even say our Exec Board was disproportionately represented, with outstanding performances from Editor-in-Chief Phil Tonseth ’22 as Dean Groves delivering an important message for all law students; Executive Editor Anna Bninski ’23 as Vice President of both ACS and FedSoc; and Managing Editor Stan Birch ’22 as Mr. NGSL in a Survivor parody that had my entire Covid-compliant watch party screaming. Law Weekly’s graduating 3Ls also turned out: former Photographer Kolleen Gladden ’21 served top-tier facial expressions in a skit capturing the exact feeling of being a woman in a Zoom room full of toxic male gunners. Former Professor Liaison Editor Leah Deskins ’21 served as Band Director, a complex role made more complicated by the virtual show. “I never imagined I was also applying to be an audio engineer,” Deskins commented. “I had a great group of musicians willing to work hard, be creative, and be patient with me as I figured out the recording ropes.” As a humble and unbiased viewer, I give them all tens across the board.
A skit show is only as strong as its musical performance. See SNL’s Dick in a Box; see also the Cowbell sketch. Libel: The Movie did not disappoint—the musical parodies were each excellent. Andi Schlut ’22 began the show with a cover of Frozen’s“Let it Go” that demonstrated both lyrical brilliance and probably the strongest vocal performance of the night. Schlut also served as a vocal instructor for the show. “Singing together over Zoom is practically impossible because of the lag and other issues,” she reflected. The solution required innovation and a lot of patience, but the results were undeniable. The show followed this up with an OGI version of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” that was somehow even more danceable than the original, and a brilliant cover of Aladdin’s “Whole New World” taught me more about Torts in two minutes than the entirety of Fall semester. Parodies of “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers featured stand-out performances from 1Ls Logan White ’23 and Rachel Dalton ’23. The night ended with a supremely good cover of WAP, and I know I speak for the people when I say: drop the Spotify link already.
The Professor Rebuttal, spearheaded this year by Professor George Cohen, was probably my favorite segment. We poke fun at the spirit of collegiality UVA Law tries to cultivate, but the truth is there is something special here at the Law School. While emotional vulnerability is both lame and embarrassing, I think it’s important for everyone—especially 1Ls who didn’t get the chance to catch this year’s performance—to know that we have a faculty willing to coordinate their schedules and take the time to write, practice, and sing a whole piece for Libel. Law school is hard and professors are intimidating, but there is a real feeling that we’re in this together. I have had more professors sing to me this year than in the entirety of my undergrad experience (Friday Torts, never forget) but it has not lost its charm.
The first-ever virtual Libel Show was hosted through Zoom over three days, allowing rowdy viewers to drink along with the performances but losing out on the joy of laughing along with a full theatre. The cost of admission was only a ten-dollar requested donation. As a viewing group consisting of only 1Ls, there are definitely jokes that went over our heads and professor impersonations I am sure were on point even without the context to understand them. The feeling of everyone I have spoken to for this article is excitement—excitement for more songs, for understanding more of the jokes, for taking bigger roles in production, and more than anything, excitement for an in-person viewing next year. Though it was a cameras-off event, every participant in the show should know there was enough laughing, screaming, and applause in at least one apartment to earn both a noise complaint and some positive memories in what has otherwise been a hellish spring semester.
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dl9uh@virginia.edu