by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: One Man Star Wars Trilogy
When: October 31st-Novemer 5th
Where: FCCJ Wilson Center
Charles Ross began his obsession with Star Wars by taping over “Shogun” with the TV premiere of Star Wars: A New Hope. Each morning, before the rest of his family awoke, Ross would watch his secretly taped copy, sometimes waking as early as 5:30AM. By the time Ross was studying acting at the University of Victoria, he knew the script so well that he and a friend used to play a Star Wars Frisbee game in which the person throwing the Frisbee says a line from Star Wars and the person catching it says the next line. The friend, who was just as obsessed as Ross, is T.J. Dawe, who encouraged Ross to create his show and eventually directed Ross in his the One Man Star Wars Trilogy.
Dawe has a history of directing fringe theater pieces, and has been peppered with awards at various fringe fests. Dawe excels at presenting humorous pieces both as an actor and behind the scenes. Ross credits Dawe with helping to shape the One Man Star Wars show, both during the creation process and during the direction of the piece.
Costumes, props and a set are not part of the equation when you watch the show. Like most stand-up comedians, Ross is only armed with his humor and creativity. Ross also interacts with his audience in much the same way a stand-up comedian does, incorporating interruptions and audience reactions into the show. As such, the show is part improv, albeit a highly structured improv. Audience members will get definite feedback from Ross, should they sigh in the middle of a scene or if their cell phone should be on.
Although the Star Wars score plays before Ross makes his appearance, no sound effects or music is played during the actual show. Instead, Ross hums the music for the most memorable scenes, in between pretending to be all the characters. The only tech aspect that sets the scenes is the lighting, designed by Michael Schaldemose. Sometimes the lighting reflected the actual lighting in the film in a particular scene, but at other times it was simply a cue to let the audience know that Ross was switching from one scene to another. I liked the red wash used for the dark-side characters and the Death Star explosion lighting.
Ross is everything and everybody in the Star Wars Trilogy, from the 20th Century Fox theme to the poor guys Vader chokes. His Admiral Ackbar and Jabba the Hutt impersonation will have you rolling in the aisles. While Ross is faithful to the storylines, it isn’t a slavish copy of the trilogy, but an interpretation sprinkled with commentary. A sample line: “Many Bothans died to bring us this information, but no one seems to care.” Comments on Mark Hamill’s whining performance and references to the Luke/Leia relationship will keep you laughing. Chewbacca growls in protest as everyone else gets a medal at the end of A New Hope, a moment that wasn’t in the movie, but should have been. I loved when Ross’ Luke says “But I thought you were black!” upon removing Vader’s helmet. The show also references a few things from the latest three movies-- mostly touching on them lightly.
It’s possible to be amused by the show without having seen the series, but I think there are a great many jokes you won’t get. “Some people come to the show and they’ve never seen Star Wars,” Ross commented after the show, “but I think that’s like coming to a Cricket match without knowing the rules to Cricket. You might enjoy yourself because everyone around you is having a good time…but you won’t know what’s going on.” You don’t have to be a complete Star Wars fanatic to understand and enjoy it, but you should have at least seen the trilogy once.
Crowds for Ross’ unique show have varied since he took it the first festival in 2002, from an audience of one to an audience of over three thousand. I attended Halloween night, expecting a light crowd because of the holiday. Only about a dozen folk were in the audience, a fact that Ross even joked about while he was on-stage. I was surprised to see a boy of no more than ten who had come out to see the show. “It was this, or Trick-or-Treating,” his mother said, as she chatted in the lobby. “He chose this.” After the show, Ross signed the kid’s program in the lobby and the boy’s mother took a picture of the two. Because Ross had lamented his lack of Halloween candy while on-stage, the boy thoughtfully handed him a piece of candy.
If you’re searching for something different to do with an evening, this show is the perfect remedy, whether you’re a hard-core fan boy or if you’ve just watched seen the trilogy before. It will only be in town through this weekend, so don’t miss the opportunity. One Man Star Wars Trilogy will be in Jacksonville through November 5th at the FCCJ Wilson Center. For tickets or more info, call (904) 632-3373 or 1-888-860-BWAY.
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