Review: One-Man Star Wars, Customs House, South Shields

Jul 17 2008 by David Whetstone, The Journal

I HAD a feeling I was going to be in for a good if unusual night when my friends and I were greeted at the theatre doors by two friendly Storm Troopers.

One-Man Star Wars was back by popular demand, returning to the venue that first presented the weird but wonderful show to North East audiences two years ago.

Not being a huge Star Wars geek myself, I wondered whether it wouldn’t just go straight over my head. Granted, some bits did but it didn’t stop me from completely enjoying it.

Canadian comedian Charles Ross performed the first in the original (and best) Star Wars trilogy in 20 minutes as part of his stand-up act seven years ago.

It was lapped up by the audience and he was encouraged to develop it into the full trilogy, performed in just an hour. More than 1,000 shows and several hundred cities later, he has become a fully-fledged member of the Lucas family (meaning they take a cut of all his profits).

It is 60 minutes of pure entertainment but be careful not to blink as you may miss anything from the attack of the Death Star to the famous “I am your father” scene.

Ross plays all the characters, sings the music and flies the ships with no props or set. His impersonations of R2-D2, Chewbacca and Jabba the Hutt are brilliant and hilarious.

For Star Wars fans this is an absolute must, and for fair-weather types like myself it will almost certainly prompt you to watch the DVDs again so you can go back and appreciate the show even more.

Emily Taylor