{"id":13,"date":"2017-01-11T11:44:50","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T11:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hlsorgs.com\/drama\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T17:17:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:17:42","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"PARODY HISTORY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The substance of each year\u2019s Parody is TOP-SECRET right up until opening night of the show. However, to give you a sense of what the HLS Parody, as an institution, is all about, here\u2019s a trip through the our history:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rat(a)(2)(E) (2025)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Rat<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Orchestra<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Barbrie (2024)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Barbrie<\/strong> told the story of dolls from the idyllic Barbieland, where every day is a good day, and every night is Bar Review. Plagued with lingering thoughts of debt, Barbie\u2014accompanied by Just Ken, Weird Barbie, and Allan\u2014ventures to the human world to seek solace. Instead, the dolls stumble upon Harvard Law School. While Barbie mourns the hardships humans face, from 1L readings to the patriarchy, Just Ken appreciates his newfound popularity, and he stumbles into middle management, helping fill the seat left vacant by President Claudine Gay\u2019s resignation. Barbie unites with her person Lawra, and together they must convince President Unjust Ken to leave the world (or at least Harvard Law School) a little better than they found it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Barbrie<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Actors<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scooby Due Process (2023)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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CRuPAC to the Future (2022)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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HLSNL and LEXISNETFLIX (2020\/21)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic altered Parody\u2019s usual structure in 2021, but, as they say, the show must go on! Instead of one, big, narrative-style show, the writers gave us two sketch-style shows each semester. In the fall show, HLSNL<\/strong>, we lampooned professors\u2019 Zoom skills in Boomer Zoomers<\/strong>, joked about \u201cquarantine houses\u201d in Law Island<\/strong>, and longed for the Memory<\/strong> of being on-campus (Memory from Cats). In the spring show, Lexis Netflix<\/strong>, we took inspiration from our many quarantine binges with a host of spoofs, including Cambridgerton<\/strong>, Schitt\u2019s Campus<\/strong>, and Perks and Vaccinations<\/strong>, while our songs expressed equal parts frustration and exhaustion with remote extracurriculars, No Clubs<\/strong> (No Scrubs by TLC), and dating, And Her Fur Is The Color Mocha<\/strong> (Livin\u2019 La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Lexis<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"HLSNL<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE GOOD PLACE\u2026JUST OUTSIDE OF BOSTON (2020)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In The Good Place: Just Outside of Boston<\/strong>, former vape shop employee 1Eleanor is a new student at Harvard Law School, much to her surprise. While teaming up with fellow students Certi, Res Judica-Tahani (Tahani, for short) and Jason, Dawg, she must shake off her imposter syndrome, keep her secret safe (she\u2019s not supposed to be here!), and find a way to remain in The Good Place, all while dodging White Claws come-to-life and equipped only with a very poor understanding of Torts. Featured songs included Low Pass<\/strong> (Low by Flo Rida), Sparrow<\/strong> (Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper), and Frugalicious<\/strong> (Fergalicious by Fergie).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Poster<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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AMENDERS: INDEMNITY WAR\u2026IN THE AGE OF JOLTRON (2019)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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LORD OF THE DEANS: THE RETURN OF THE RANKING (2018)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Lord of the Deans<\/strong>, Frodo Baggins, nervous legacy niece of outgoing Dean Martha Minilbo Baggins, receives the gift of a mysterious plaque from her aunt. Together with the Fellowship of the plaque, including Samwise JD, HLRwen, and Professor Lazdalf, she must destroy the evil Ames Plaque before Deans Sarumanning and Sellsron can use it to bring Harvard back up to #2 \u2014 by any means possible. Featured songs included Dancing Dean <\/strong>(Dancing Queen by ABBA), I Wanna Dance with Some JD <\/strong>(I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston), and Pay Lockstep <\/strong>(1, 2 Step by Ciara feat. Missy Elliott).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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HARRY PALSGRAF IN FANTASTIC BRIEFS AND WHERE TO FILE THEM (2017)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Harry is the Chosen 1L in Harry Palsgraf<\/strong>, destined to defeat the Hark Lord. But even with help from Ron Westlaw and Hermione Gunner, Harry can barely brew a Potion to Dismiss in Professor Rubensnape\u2019s 1L Civil Procedure. Can he really save Dean Dumbleminow and prevent the school\u2019s descent into darkness? Featured songs included You Don\u2019t Know Your Bluebook Rules <\/strong>(What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction), This Girl Goes to Harvard <\/strong>(Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys), and Harvard Won\u2019t Fail Anyone <\/strong>(Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton: An American Musical).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAW WARS: ATTACK OF THE LOANS (2016)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Law Wars<\/strong>, OCS career adviser Darth Weber sought to convert all the 1Ls to the Private Side of the law. Only an alliance of public interest students could stand against him, with the help of Obi-Jon Hanson Master Nesson. But when Leia is kidnapped and taken to EIP (scary!), who will help our heroes destroy that giant laser on top of Gropius \u2013 which could blow them all up at any minute? Featured songs included Admissions<\/strong> (Hello by Adele), BSA <\/strong>(I\u2019ll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan), and Subciter <\/strong>(Survivor by Destiny\u2019s Child).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1960 TO TODAY<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The substance of each year\u2019s Parody is top-secret, right up until opening night of the show. However, to give you a sense of what the HLS Parody, as an institution, is all about, here\u2019s a trip through the last few decades of Parody productions.
\u200b
The HLS Drama Society inaugurated the 1980\u2019s with a memorable production of Supraman\u2014The Parody<\/strong>, in which the superhero came to the Law School in order to stamp out evil and win the heart of Lois Lein.\u200bThe following year, the Drama Society decided to take a different direction, and produced a series of original productions instead of Parodies. Contempt of Courtship<\/strong> (1981) followed one student\u2019s misadventures in love at the Law School, and Summery Proceedings<\/strong> (1982) dealt with Harvard\u2019s brilliant idea to start a summer camp for pre-L\u2019s.The Parody returned in fine form in 1983 with North by North Middle<\/strong>, in which HLS was overrun with Hitchcocknian spies in crop-dusting planes. 1984: A Romantic Musical Comedy<\/strong> (1984) did the seemingly impossible by mixing Orwell, romance, and showtunes. Starry Decisis<\/strong> (1985) followed the exploits of three aliens who appeared in Harvard Square and wrought havoc on the Law School.The Drama Society began the 90\u2019s with a trip to Oz in The Crimson Slippers, or There\u2019s No Place Like Holmes<\/strong> (1990). West Law Story<\/strong> (1991) and The Malfeased Falcon<\/strong> (1992) followed, furthering the trend of increasingly professional productions. The Phantom of the Law School<\/strong> (1993), My Fair J.D.<\/strong> (1994), and The Cocky Lawyer Picture Show<\/strong>(1995) rounded out the early 90\u2019s with shows of theretofore unparalleled complexity. Raiders of the Lost Hark<\/strong> (1996), a multi-media extravaganza, followed. Backbench to the Future<\/strong> (1997) moved to a local elementary school during Pound\u201ds renovation, but Reasonable Men in Black<\/strong> (1998) returned to Ropes-Gray.The Surreal World<\/strong> (1999) lampooned reality shows, I Know What You Made Last Summer<\/strong> (2000) returned to the horror theme, and the 2001 technologically ambitious spy thriller License to Bill featured four would-be heroes and a nefarious villain. Hearsay Anything<\/strong> (2002) told the love story of Harry Hart and Sally Sole, and in 2003, Lord of the Briefs<\/strong> (2003) featured a Forrest Gump-inspired lead character triumphantly winning the Ames \u201cBest Brief\u201d prize over a Gollum-like character doomed from the start. H-Men<\/strong>(2004) told the story of six super-powered students and their quest to save the law school from attack.With Finding Nemo Contributorily Negligent<\/strong> (2005), Parody returned to the variety show format of earlier shows, but returned to a more plot-driven story in Lawst<\/strong> (2006) which tells of a group of shipwrecked students who must recreate both society, and of course law school, after being stranded on a deserted island. The mystery thriller, The Da Vinci Model Penal Code<\/strong> (2007) followed, and in 2008 The Parody followed the adventures of the boy wizard with a spectacular production in Harry Issue Spotter, and the Goblet of Breyer<\/strong>.  Next, The Hark Knight<\/strong> (2009) continued this success by following Batman as he tries to stop the law school from falling into chaos as Dean Kagan ruthlessly aims for a spot on the Supreme Court.
\u200b
Students took the financial crisis into their own hands in Ocean\u2019s Replevin<\/strong> (2010) by plotting to steal Harvard\u2019s endowment. Vampires and werewolves clashed over control of Harvard in Twilitem: De Novo Moon<\/strong> (2011), almost allowing all outline banks to be regulated into oblivion.  A whimsical, hilarious spectacle surprised the audience in Martha Minow and the J.D. Factory<\/strong> (2012).  Students returned to Dorothy and her friends once more in The Wizard of Laws <\/strong>(2013).  The more recent Parodies, The Lawyer King: the Circle of Law<\/strong> (2014) (which traced the saga of Simba, son of Dean Minfasa, as he sought to fight power-hungry Alan Dershowitz from taking over as Dean of the law school) and Law Wars: Attack of the Loans<\/strong> (2016), borrow creative elements from popular entertainment franchises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The substance of each year\u2019s Parody is TOP-SECRET right up until opening night of the show. However, to give you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"plain-container","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5BG1p-d","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/drama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}