ADC
2 stars

Going to the Medics' Revue, I was prepared to be shocked, disgusted, and deterred from ever again darkening my twisted-minded doctor's door. Unfortunately, this was not the case. “The Hysterectomy Boys” was reminiscent of a rather mild work-party cabaret, based on innuendo, awful groan-inducing jokes, and enthusiastically unpolished performances. There were some decent pieces: a nice sketch about discrimination in Heaven's entry policy, for instance; a sermon corrupted by corporate sponsorship (“Jesus, after a Wait-rose on the third day”); and an impressively good rendition of bored invigilators commentating on an exam.

These semi-hits were, however, interspersed with some awkward misses. It played heavily on Cambridge stereotypes, and toyed half-heartedly with somewhat tired politics. There were some dubious moments, like the sexually-thrusting rendition of the 'YMCA' – re-dubbed the Peterhouse-ribbing 'LGBT' – and a strangel y incongruent occurrence of the anticipated shock-tactic seemed a rather forced ending to a sperm's otherwise good rendition of I Will Survive. It was a shame, because these bizarrely misguided moments took the edge off some genuinely good ideas.

Perhaps, in a production like this, such criticism is out of place. Perhaps it should be taken lightly, charitably, and perhaps you should just laugh along. The audience certainly took it in this spirit, and sounded as if they loved it, seemingly enjoying themselves beyond what most of this material was actually worth. Good on them, but – despite the show hardly ever being medically-based – it did seem at times that this apparently medic-filled crowd had previously been initiated into some glaring in-joke.

The actors didn't take themselves or their show too seriously, which certainly helped, and there was a definite sense of laughing with your colleagues on stage. They made an admirable effort at something they're not supposed to be good at, but they've chosen their ca reer paths well and should certainly stick to them.

Jon Andrews