a courthouse line
Lawst chronicled a law firm retreat-gone-bad. En route to a
tropical paradise, the charter plane crashed (thanks to lawyers
refusing to turn off their cell phones), and the lawyers ended up
stranded on a deserted island that was home to pirates. (Well,
software pirates). Half of the lawyers grew accustomed to the
island-life and wanted to stay, while others were eager to return
home. Lawst featured some of the greatest sets and props,
including a life-size charter airplane and a giant Anaconda
snake! For the lawyers left back at the firm to worry about their
colleagues, the rival “gangs” of Lexis and Westlaw staged a
“rumble,” straight out of West Side Story. Extraordinary tap
dancing to Anything Goes and lots of jamming to Pink Floyd
and Gloria Gaynor made this show a memorable one.
behind the scenes. Some of the cast, including Michael
Caldwell, Terrence Croft, David Schaeffer and Don Samuel
have performed in all ten Bard productions, and countless
others are appearing in show number eight or nine. And
then there are new talents that will light up the stage in their
first Bard performance. The performers come from big firms,
small firms, solo practices, academia, corporate counsel posts,
prosecutors’ offices, defense firms and the judiciary.
In the style of the television show “24,” Saving Private
Practice followed a law firm on the brink of collapse. Aided by
its star litigator and an overly intense bicycle courier, the firm
ultimately was saved from the prospect of either bankruptcy
or a merger with the “Doctor Evil” law firm. The lawyers then
went on to keep “Practicin’, Practicin’ the Law” (a parody of The
Wiz favorite, “Ease on Down the Road”). The cast thrilled the
audience, singing “I See the Courthouse On the Right,” to the
tune of the Meatloaf classic, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”
Law School Musical was a comical combination of High
School Musical meets Glee. The students at the Bill Campbell
School of Law (BC Law, for short) faced the typical student
problems: surviving in class, making the grades, getting on
Law Review, getting a clerkship, and getting a date. Hope
Allen summed it up with a Cher classic, “Gunners, Geeks
and Dweebs”, and when it was time for exams, Vickie Sadler
belted out a fabulous version of “Fail You,” a twist on Cee Lo’s
hit. There was Katy Perry and Journey, and Greg Presmanes,
as the Elvis impersonator turned school janitor, entertained
with “Law School Rock.” In the end, the cast happily sang
“Graduate, Pass the Bar” (from Jesus Christ Superstar).
This year’s production team includes Cathy O’Neil (Writer,
Director and Choreographer/King & Spalding), Kimberly
Myers (Musical Director/Rogers & Hardin, retired), Steve
Lang (Writer & Assistant Director/Berman Fink Van Horn),
Brian Johnson (Writer & Assistant Director/Drew Eckl
& Farnham), Maggie Vath (Co-Producer/ Georgia State
University College of Law), Alison Arce (Co-Producer /Atlanta
Family Lawyers), Lisa Nelson (Dance Captain /Alston & Bird),
and Michael Melonakos (Writer/The Roth Firm). Auditions
were held in August, and the cast has been rehearsing since
early September, spending the approximate equivalent of
several million dollars in would-be billable hours. But it is
worth it!
And this year’s performance of Back in the Black? Well, you
will just have to come out and see. But get ready to laugh... In this tenth year, we will celebrate the years of fun we’ve had,
a lot.
making music and being a little crazy. We’ll also remember
members of our Bard family who are no longer with us to
Our tenth show celebration, A Courthouse Line X: Back in share the stage, but whose energy we feel nevertheless: The
the Black features the talents of over sixty lawyers and judges Honorable Rowland Barnes, Lori Ann Haydu, District Judge G.
– the largest cast yet -- with many more providing support Ernest Tidwell, Jake Waldrop, and Thomas Witcher.
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association
October 2013
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
9