Law students take to the stage in musical

Published: Thursday, January 30, 1997

Thursday, January 30, 1997

THEATER:

'Anti-Kids and Fun' offers unique satire of shifting social attitudesBy Goutami Mikkilineni

Daily Bruin Contributor

Most students at UCLA's Law School have little reason to be dancing and singing in the law building lobby when graduation is still many months away.

However, a handful of UCLA law students are taking time out of their busy schedules to entertain fellow students, professors and anyone interested in the politics of law firms during the 1950s. Their production, "Anti-Kids and Fun," runs Saturday night, at the Northwest Auditorium.

UCLA Law Professor Kenneth Graham is in charge of the 15th annual law school musical. Graham wrote the script and lyrics for the musical while borrowing melodies from more popular Broadway hits and "Annie Get Your Gun."

The musical is set in the law firm "Lawless, Liffert, Lipscomb and Beale" during 1954 a year in which law firms did not hire women nor minorities. Maya Alexandri, who plays lead character Marsha Montevani describes her character as the "multiple personality syndrome chic" who inherited a lot of money but can't access it thanks to the firm's avarice. Marsha is a strong, independent lady, and in this time period these qualities make her eccentric. The firm has her committed to an insane asylum, but Montevani escapes.

"My character is not crazy but just walks the walk at the asylum to survive," Alexandri says.

When she breaks out, she takes with her a handful of crazy people to help her foil the firm. The humor reaches a peak as Montevani impersonates everyone from her own psychiatrist to former Vice President Richard Nixon in order to find out information about the firm. Montevani gets help from a secretary in the firm who could not get a job as a lawyer even though she outsmarts her male co-workers.

"I wrote this musical to poke fun at those who said in the last election that the '50s were the greatest era ever known in America," Graham says.

"Anti-Kids and Fun" addresses issues such as anti-semitism, sexism and racism, but still stirs laughter because of Graham's satirical slant to the dialogue. In fact, a lot of the humor in "Anti-Kids and Fun" comes from the differences between society in the '50s, when "Annie Get Your Gun" was created, and today.

"Many of the issues in the musical have changed since the '50s," Graham says, "but certain racial issues have merely shifted targets rather than disappeared. It pleases me that many of the racial slurs of the time which appear in the script are not understood or known by the students today."

Student director Michael Wichman, who has worked on the law school musical for the past three years, thinks that people come to the play not only to see shifts in law and society, but to laugh as well. "I think the audience will enjoy the show because it is satirical and subversive," he says.

This unique look at law attracted close to 50 participants. Graham says, "It restores my faith in humanity to see people working for something without pay but simply for the fun of it."

Wichman adds of working with the volunteers, "You'd be surprised how talented some people are." The students do a lot of improvisation that has worked its way into the final script, showing their talent as performers.

Although the students and Graham participate in the production for fun, many of the cast members actually have theater and music experience. Alexandri, who doubles as lead actress and choreographer, was an actress and ballet dancer in New York City before entering UCLA's law program. "At one time, I was interested in entertainment law, but have abandoned that field in hopes of being a judge," Alexandri explains. "Working with the students has been a positive experience because the students, although they are not professional dancers, are extremely focused and disciplined individuals."

But experience isn't necessarily what the law musical wants. A lot of the musical's humor comes from the lack of polished dance, drama and music skills. In fact, a lot of the audience comes just to see what a bunch of law, not theater, students can perform.

And, this year the students are prepared for a large audience. In past years the humor was more geared toward law students, but this year the musical contains humor that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just legal experts. "I might not have told people who lack legal knowledge to come, but this year the production is more universal," Graham says.

The law students-turned-performers hope "Anti-Kids and Fun" will be an entertaining, intelligent night for those who get their laughs from attacking the establishment view during the '50s as well as today.

THEATER: "Anti-Kids and Fun" plays Saturday in the Northwest Auditorium. Tickets are $10.