OCBA variety show is all about having fun and showcasing talent

By Mike Scott Legal News While lawyers can be a serious bunch, there was little that was serious about the Oakland County Bar Association's "Fourth Occasionally Annual Bar Revue Talent Show" last month. Indeed there was talent on stage October 28 at the Birmingham Community House. But there was also a lot of fun, a few parodies, and plenty of laughs before, during and after the event. More than 30 area lawyers and a number of judges took part in the event, which serves as a variety show for the legal community. The event included dancing, singing, parodies and acting that highlighted barristers from in and around southeastern Michigan. The sold-out event drew 250 attendees to the two-hour show. It is the fourth Bar Revue event hosted by the Oakland County Bar Association since 2001, said associate producer and former OCBA president Betty Lou Lowenthal. "It's an unbelievable amount of work to put this together," Lowenthal said, adding that performers have been preparing and rehearsing for the show since late summer when auditions were first held. "Many of our lawyers and judges who are involved have participated in it before and they are really quite good." One of the parody acts that was performed was titled, "OCBA's Got Talent," and had a local slant on the "America's Got Talent" show which airs on network TV. A group of judges also performed a parody titled, "The Defendant Man," which mirrored Billy Joel's "The Piano Man." Some lawyers who work with Oakland County Friend of the Court sang a number titled, "When Your in Debt," a parody of West Side Story's "When You're a Jet." It is this type of creativity that the Bar Revue has traditionally tried to highlight, Lowenthal said. Ideally the Bar Revue would be held on a more regular basis, but the production requires significant time and effort. Lowenthal and fellow co-producer Anne Cole Pierce, a family law specialist and managing partner of the Ann Cole Pierce, P.C. law firm in Franklin, have traditionally been involved in the production of the show. Pierce displayed a terrific voice herself with a song from "Les Miserables," while also teaming with attorney Hanley Gurwin for a light-hearted duet titled, "Still Arguing After All These Years." This year's Bar Revue was designed as a type of homage to current OCBA President Kurt Schnelz, a partner with the Birmingham firm of Schnelz Wells. It also served as a comedic platform for his father, the Hon. Gene Schnelz, a former Oakland County Circuit Court judge who serves as Of Counsel for the same Birmingham firm. Gene Schnelz has served as the master of ceremonies for each of the four Bar Revue events held over the past several years and his wit and humor were on display at the October 28 festivities, as were that of attorney Jerry Weiner. "It takes a lot of work but once we commit to it (the Bar Revue) came together pretty quickly," Lowenthal said. "It helps when you have someone like Gene Schnelz, who can take the emcee role and run with it. "The most fun we had, besides being on stage, was creating the skits or the different parodies," Lowenthal added. Some of those involved in this year's Bar Revue included state Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan; Circuit Court Judges Joan Young, Edward Sosnick, Cheryl Matthews, and Rae Lee Chabot; Probate Court Judges Elizabeth Pezzetti, Linda Hallmark, and Daniel A. O'Brien; retired Wayne County Circuit Court Judge William Giovan; and District Court Judge Michelle Friedman Appel. Jim Robb, associate dean at Cooley Law School, also was among the featured performers. Dan McCarthy, who sparkled on the keyboards throughout the evening, capped the show with a magnificent rendition of "The House Is a Rockin'." As part of the Bar Revue, the OCBA and a group of volunteers decorated the Birmingham Community House with various Halloween and fall items such as a coffin, graveyard and leaves, Lowenthal said. The event also helped raise funds for the OCBA Foundation, which supports a number of legal aid programs in the area. "It's fun to do something silly and we have plenty of that but we also has some very talented people who sing in church choirs and now get a chance to be a star on stage, even if just for one night," Lowenthal said. "We're able to poke fun at ourselves and others in a very classy way but it's just an opportunity to get together and produce something memorable that we can all talk about for a few months. "Lawyers in general have a bad reputation, so here we get an opportunity to laugh together and show that we're actually a group of fun people," Lowenthal said. "Not only are we helping to raise money for the OCBA Foundation, but we're able to show off the various personalities of the lawyers and judges in our areas." Some of the performers dressed up for the event, such as a group of lawyers who donned skeleton costumes and danced to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. Of course, the term "dancing" could have been used loosely to describe the act, Lowenthal said with a laugh, but that's what made it so enjoyable and unique. "None of these individuals took themselves too seriously as part of this event," she said. "Again, it is all about having fun and enjoying yourself." Published: Tue, Dec 1, 2009

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