When people hear about Charles Ross and his One Man Star Wars Trilogy, they often leap enthusiastically to the same conclusion.
Surely he’s some sort of stereotypical uber-nerd who decided to take his obsession on the road. Even “Star Wars geeks,” who might embrace him as one of their own, sometimes wonder whether he’s taking his love of the trilogy too far.
But that assumption – that Ross is a gangly, awkward geek who took a party trick on tour – couldn’t be more wrong. He’s a geek, but he’s also an actor. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance, and putting the show together required the same sort of writing, direction and rehearsal that all stage plays do.
Ross is certainly a Star Wars fan. He grew to love the films, particularly A New Hope, as a child.”
Ross’ desire to make a living in the world of theater led him to study performance at the University of Victoria. Although he didn’t write the One Man Star Wars Trilogy until much later, the idea for the show began to form while he was still in college. Conversations and games with fellow student T.J. Dawe eventually grew into the inspiration for the show. While talking about condensing plays down to three minutes, a common task in theater school auditions, the two talked about abridging Star Wars.
The result is a fast-paced, 58-minute “long-form impression” of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Dressed all in black and wearing knee and elbow pads, Ross is on the move from the beginning of the show to the end. He pauses for only a few seconds between each of the three films to get a sip of water. He imitates all of the characters, the score and even the opening crawl of yellow text using facial expressions, vocal impersonations, gestures and movements. It’s strenuous – Ross runs, jumps, leaps and rolls from beginning to end.
Don’t miss your chance to see the One Man Star Wars at the Tidemark Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 Adults, $20 Theatre Members, $15 Students, & $5 eyeGO tickets (Grade 9 – 12 students), and are available at the Tidemark Ticket Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tue.-Sat. or Charge-by-Phone at 287-7465 or 1-800-994-0555. Tickets or online at www.tidemarktheatre.com