The 40th Anniversary Medics Revue was a great success, full of humour and ingenuity.
There is a reason that the Medics Revue has been running for 40 years, aside from the fact that it raises a lot of money for great causes, and that is because it is funny, and knows exactly what its audience wants to hear. Written, directed and performed by medical students (because its not like they are busy enough already!) the 40th Medics Revue tells the story of Clark Bent, who lives a double life as Bupaman.
While the revue is undoubtedly tailored towards a very specific audience (being medics) there is plenty in the show for other students in the university to enjoy. I may have more than the average students medical knowledge, largely due to a deep and abiding love for shows like Greys Anatomy and House, as I understood a lot of the references clearly catered for the medical students in the audience. However, there was a lot of general material that any student could understand and enjoy, as they commented on the stunning architecture of the maths building, or the delights of the Jesters dance floor. Add in some superhero and comic book references, penis and vagina jokes and it made for a highly entertaining evening.
The entire cast of the Revue was fantastic, and the accompaniment of a live band (again all made up of medical students) was a great addition to the night. There were a few issues at times with lighting coming up too early, but this was only a minor issue, and at some points added to the humour of the show. Throughout the show they made use of both live action performance, and pre recorded shorts to great effect. These shorts allowed time for the actors to change and sets to be moved about, but kept the audience engaged, through the stories like ‘The Handover’, ‘PR Trek’ and the introduction of the ‘BMFUN’.
What impressed me most was the ingenuity in the lyrics for the songs. Whether it was adapting ‘Dancing Queen’ to talk about choosing a speciality in medicine, or a ‘Blurred Lines’ parody called ‘Survey Monkey’ complete with men dressed in short skirts and crop tops and girls wearing monkey onesies, each song was highly entertaining and very clever. Each individual song was clearly focused on a lot, and the singing talents of the entire cast shone through.
With the proceeds going to a great cause, and a fantastic night guaranteed, I would recommend any student go and see the Medics Revue – I’m certainly looking forward to next years!
