Devoted readers of Mu-sings will recall that Mer gave me a really cool Christmas present – tickets to The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy (make sure to check out the video clip). This last Thursday was the special day. The play was in a small theater at the University of Akron. We got to the University a few minutes early, and since it was bitterly cold with a howling wind, we wandered over to check out the huge and fairly new fitness center on campus (the center is two years old). It was really impressive. They had ping pong in the place, and Mer noted that the ping pong players looked as if they were having a lot more fun than the people on the treadmills. But I digress.

The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy was much fun. It really was just one guy who did all three of the original Star Wars movies. He communicated character by means of body language, voice, and stage lighting. You have to have seen the movies for the play to make much sense, but if you have seen them enough to know way too many lines from the films, then you will have a pretty good time. Charles Ross, the actor, pretty much sticks to the original lines from the film, but he does throw a few original lines in from time to time to gently mock the films.

Since Star Wars (A New Hope for you SW nerds) was BY FAR the best film of the series, he spent about 30 minutes of the hour-long show doing that film. The last two films took about 15 minutes each. He only took breaks between the films to get a quick drink of water. It was really funny, and his imitation of a falling AT-AT Walker is brilliant.

I wish I could have gotten the Fools to see this. Ross’s use of energy, body language, object work, accents, and commitment to character were all top rate, and are things I wish I could stress more to the Fools (and to myself, too!).

Sadly, The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy is heading Down Under for the next couple of months. Keep an eye out for it to see if it comes to your area. If you even only kind-of liked the films, this is worth while.