May farce be with you

Jul 5 2007 by Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle

Star Wars fans should head out in force to one of the region’s premier theatres next week. Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR explains all.

DURHAM’S Gala Theatre is set to host a production next week that aims to be literally out of this world!

One Man Star Wars blasts into the city on Tuesday for one night only.

Its star, Charles Ross, is a Canadian actor whose childhood was filled with years of watching nothing but the Star Wars films.

As a result, he created this show where he condenses the plots of the three original films into just 60 minutes, playing every character and moving through the storylines with pace and humour.

Starting life in 2001 as a simple comedy sketch, One Man Star Wars has since enjoyed success on worldwide tour, off-Broadway, and at the official Star Wars Conventions.

Fans of the films will recognise Charles’ amazing ability to mimic the characters and their actions, right down to Yoda’s walk and Darth Vader’s heavy breathing.

A former huge hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, the actor not only plays all the characters but also sings the music, flies the ships and fights the battles.

It debuted in Toronto, Canada, in January 2001, and is written by Ross, who has appeared on a number of prestigious American TV shows, including The Today Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and is directed by TJ Dawe.

Star Wars creator LucasFilms loved the show so much, they hired him to promote Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and to appear at the official Star Wars Convention, Celebration III.

One Man Star Wars recently attracted a huge audience at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal and this is the last chance to see it in the region on this tour.

Whatever the engagement, Ross has entertained the masses with his high-energy and side-splitting romp through a galaxy far, far away.

Tickets are available from the box office on (0191) 332 4041, or visit www.galadurham.co.uk for online bookings.