RUMS - Back to the Suture
Written by Alex Smedley
Following hot on the heels of such cult classics as ‘The Wizard of Obs’, ‘One Threw Up in the Doctors’ Mess’ and ‘Pirates of the Perineum’, this year’s MDs’ show - that’s the Manic Depressives to you and me - Back to the Suture did not disappoint.
The final date of the annual allsinging all-dancing MDs’ show was full of catchy spoofs of popular songs - particular mention to the singing talents of Bethany Brockbank - including the toetapping “I Kissed a Corpse”, sendups of the fraternity of surgeons, and gratuitous knob gags that had the audience in stitches. Pun totally intended.
The plot followed first year student Geoffrey (Connor Cummings) at an early 20th century UCL medical school who, through a series of initiation tasks set for him by a trio of humorously-portrayed old boy Harley Street surgeons, is unwittingly sent to the present day RUMS through what else but a magic fridge. The audience saw Geoffrey on his way back to his own era, journeying through a series of inevitably awkward situations.
The two lead freshers carried the play very well, even managing not to freeze in the face of stiff opposition from the heckles of the doctors in the front row. Their Back to the Future-style love story came to a much anticipated kiss in the final few minutes, which was genuinely cinematic.
Particular highlights were a faithful homage to Sir Malcolm Grant, the provost of University College London, reminding everyone in attendance of UCL’s status as “London’s Global University”, and one of the new cast members showing off his considerable acting talent - located between his legs.
The show ended on a double performance of a well choreographed final dance, which featured the whole cast clad in shiny gold trunks so tight that some of the newly qualified doctors in the front row may have confused them with sparkly tourniquets. Worth the ticket price alone and surely the most fitting tribute to “I Like Big Butts” ever performed on a London stage.
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