Review: ONE MAN STAR WARS TRILOGY at Dr. Phillips Center is for Super Fans Only

With the continued integration of the Star Wars Universe into the Disney fold, there will undoubtedly be legions of fans in Central Florida who will appreciate every hyper-speed second of Charlie Ross' ONE MAN STAR WARS TRILOGY, unfortunately, I am not one of those fans. Admittedly, I'm not exactly in Ross' target audience; I've seen each of the original STAR WARS films multiple times, but the last time for each was at least a decade (or two) ago, and I slept through substantial parts of midnight premieres for Episodes I, II, and III. So while I was able to follow the general gist of Ross' break-neck reenactments, much of the humor and details were lost on me.

Ross' ONE MAN STAR WARS TRILOGY runs at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, October 18th and it seemed like a religious experience for many of the diehard Jedi enthusiasts that surrounded me on Opening Night. Ross began performing the show in 2002, and thanks to a serendipitous meeting on an Orlando street not too far from the Dr. Phillips Center, he performs not only with the permission of Lucasfilms, but as a pseudo-ambassador for the company as well. After Tuesday night's show, Ross explained how an early performance at Orlando's SAK Comedy Lab changed the show's trajectory forever.

In just over 75 minutes, Ross recreates every major moment in the original STAR WARS trilogy, from the iconic opening credits to the Ewok sing-along at the end of RETURN OF THE JEDI. Ross, a naturally charismatic actor, displays an incredible amount of energy and stamina while performing all of the films' roles, and providing his own sound effects and soundtrack. In fact, since much of the dialogue is delivered so quickly that it is often unintelligible if you don't have the script completely committed to memory, the sound effects and non-English speaking voices are often the funniest parts.

While much frequently went over my head, the enthusiastic audience of far more knowledgeable fans laughed and applauded when they recognized many of the films' most iconic and obscure moments. However, many times I found myself confused because it was difficult to distinguish one character's accent from another. To my perhaps untrained ear, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine shared an oddly British accent, which didn't make much sense, given James Earl Jones' iconic baritone. Even those completely unfamiliar with the Star Wars' universe know what Darth Vader and Yoda sound like, but unfortunately, I think you would be hard-pressed to pick Ross' impressions of each out of a vocal line-up.

That being typed, his R2D2 whistle could not have been better, his whiney Luke Skywalker was hilarious, and his occasional commentary on the films was hysterical, especially a bit about the Rebels' use of the metric system.

In between films, Ross takes a few minutes to rehydrate and catch his breath while sharing stories about the films and his relationship with the STAR WARS universe, and it made me wish that he had incorporated more of that into the show itself. Rather than rushing through all three films at a nearly incoherent speed, from someone in my situation, I think the show would have benefited from a more Reduced Shakespeare approach, in which he could have acted out the movies' major moments and provided insight on the stories, their creation, and their impact as he went.

However, this show was clearly not created for people in my situation. This show was created for people who know the difference between Naboo and Tatooine. This show was created for people who know the difference between Padmé and a Padawan.

For Central Florida STAR WARS devotees, there just is no excuse to miss Ross' show, but for fringe fans, like myself, this is definitely not a substitute for binge watching Episodes IV, V, and VI before THE FORCE AWAKENS comes out in December. If you count yourself in the former category, then you should purchase your tickets at the Dr. Phillips Center website, or by calling 844-513-2014.

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Did you take a journey far, far away with Ross' ONE MAN STAR WARS TRILOGY? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or by "Liking" and following BWW Orlando on Facebook and Twitter using the buttons below. You can also chat with me about the show on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Photo Credit: OneManStarWars.com

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