University of Minnesota law students in the Theater of the Relatively Talentless (TORT) are ready to perform their annual parody musical Moot Cars this weekend, based on the 2006 Disney and Pixar film “Cars.” 

The musical, written, directed, designed and performed by students, will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Ted Mann Concert Hall on West Bank. 

Moot Cars follows Lighting McMondale, a first-year law student with his sights set on transferring out of Minnesota Law while traveling on his journey of self-discovery and navigating the antics of a Cars-themed law school.

Molly Kleist, a third-year law student who plays mentor Doc Hudson, said the show is a great way to turn off the brain from the stress of law school while getting to be creative. 

“What I love about the show is it allows everyone to laugh at ourselves, to realize how ridiculous law school is, how ridiculous the legal profession can be sometimes and just letting everyone laugh it out and be self-aware,” Kleist said. 

According to Kleist, the show has a lot of law school jokes in it, but they provide a “TORTionary” that explains legal terms or niche jokes for the public to understand. 

“There are parts that are accessible to everyone, so just come in with an open mind,” Kleist said. “Maybe don’t expect a Tony-winning performance, but it’s going to be entertaining, I promise.” 

Dominic Detwiler, a third-year law student and director of this year’s show, said they wrote the show with the law school as the primary audience because it is what they know. However, they have had people come in who are not affiliated with the school who found it funny, Detwiler added. 

This is Detwiler’s third year involved with TORT and he said the organization is a great opportunity for people to connect. 

“It really does create a sense of community that I think makes the law school here really unique and particularly TORT is such a strong organization,” Detwiler said. “It’s a really strong community here within the law school that I think benefits the members of the organization both in the law school and beyond.”

This year’s show features TORT’s biggest cast with around 80 students involved, said Mallorie Sckerl, a third-year law student, head producer and playing the lead of Sally in the show. 

“Getting to work with so many different people who care so much about this one show and getting to geek out with them and just really have fun,” Sckerl said. “These are people I see in classes every day and get to build those more professional relationships with, but it’s so great to have this designated time outside of classes that I get to know these people.” 

The cast has been rehearsing since January, putting in six hours a week between rehearsals on Sunday and Monday nights, according to Sckerl. 

Detwiler said one of the bigger challenges of putting on the show is the time commitment, as all of the participants are also law students with full course loads. 

Kleist said her favorite part of the show is when she, as Professor Doc, gets to sing a song with Lighting McMondale. 

“I am schooling him because he has a little bit of an ego problem,” Kleist said. “So we sing ‘Anything You Can Do [I Can Do Better]’ from Annie Get Your Gun and I kind of kick his butt and do it while singing like a bada–. I really enjoy that part.” 

Sckerl said her favorite part of the show is the closing number, when the cast sings “Life Is A Highway” from Cars, changed to “Law Is A Highway.”

“I remember seeing [Cars] in theaters with my family and so to have this over-the-top, cheesy, silly end to law school and my time in TORT, that was something,” Sckerl said. “To have this now at 25 be the literal soundtrack to the end of my law school experience is just really funny and sweet.” 

Violet Butler, a first-year law student and ensemble member in the show, said their favorite part of the show is being on stage giving the reactions to mirror the audience. 

“TORT is really about having fun and putting on a show that’s kind of low stakes because we’re not professionals either,” Butler said. 

Sckerl said she is already looking forward to coming back to see other TORT shows, knowing she has been a part of it. 

“It’s been really great to be one of the upperclassmen that is continuing to help expand and build that community because I know how important it was for me all three years of law school as an outlet, as something creative to do,” Sckerl said. 

Kleist, who helped write the script, said she looks forward to performing the show for an audience to see. 

“The energy of performing with a live audience, nothing’s like it,” Kleist said. “We’ve written a show that everyone should be able to enjoy.”