One Man Star Wars Trilogy

{{Short description|2001 Off-Broadway play by Charles Ross}} {{Refimprove|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox play | name = One Man Star Wars Trilogy | image = | alt = | caption = | writer = Charles Ross | based_on = ''[[Star Wars]]'' | chorus = | characters = | setting = | premiere =  2001 | place = [[Canada]] | orig_lang = English | series = | subject = | genre = [[parody]] | web = http://www.onemanstarwars.com }} '''''One Man Star Wars Trilogy''''' is an [[Off-Broadway]] play based on the original ''[[Star Wars]]'' trilogy, written and performed by [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[actor]] [[Charles Ross (actor)|Charles Ross]], and directed by [[TJ Dawe]]. It premiered in [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]], in January 2001. <ref name="PB Jones">{{cite news |last= Jones |first= Kenneth |date= 2 August 2005 |title= May the Farce, Er, Force Be With You: One-Man Star Wars Trilogy Makes NYC Debut Aug. 2 |url=https://playbill.com/article/may-the-farce-er-force-be-with-you-one-man-star-wars-trilogy-makes-nyc-debut-aug-2-com-127259 |work= [[Playbill]] |location= [[New York City]] |access-date= 3 March 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128000450/https://playbill.com/article/may-the-farce-er-force-be-with-you-one-man-star-wars-trilogy-makes-nyc-debut-aug-2-com-127259 |archive-date=2020-11-28}}</ref> <ref name="SMHblog">{{cite news |url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainment/archives/club_metro/010366.html |title= How I invented One Man Star Wars |last=Ross |first=Charles |date=2007-03-15 |format=weblog |newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date= 3 March 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160414111741/http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainment/archives/club_metro/010366.html |archive-date=2016-04-14}}</ref>

==One man play== First performed at the Pavilion Theatre in [[Kamloops]], [[British Columbia]], Canada, the play runs for 75 minutes (although earlier incarnations lasted for one hour) and has only one cast member. Ross plays all the characters, recreates the effects, and sings from the [[John Williams]] score. The inspiration came from playing a [[frisbee]] game with friends, in which the thrower would say a line from the movies, and the catcher had to say the following line while catching.<ref name="HSW1">{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/one-man-star-wars.htm |title=How the One Man Star Wars Trilogy Works (part 1) |author= Tracy V. Wilson |date=12 April 2006 |website= entertainment.howstuffworks.com |language=en |publisher= [[HowStuffWorks]] |access-date=2024-03-03 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201019234008/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/theater/one-man-star-wars.htm |archive-date=2020-10-19}}</ref>

The show is licensed by [[Lucasfilm]].<ref name="HSW5"/> Charles Ross has also used the concept with other film trilogies, including "One Man [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|Lord of the Rings]]", which was performed from 2004 to 2005.<ref name="SMHblog"/> Ross was asked to stop performing by the [[intellectual property]] holder.<ref name="SMHblog"/> The legal issues have since been resolved, and he performed the "One Man Lord of the Rings" show at the 2009 [[Edinburgh Fringe]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Ross has reportedly seen the original trilogy over 400 times.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

==Performances== ''One Man Star Wars Trilogy ''has toured and appeared on several [[television]] shows, including [[NBC]]'s ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' and [[CBS]]'s ''[[The Late Late Show (U.S.)|Late Late Show]]''. <ref name="HSW5">{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/one-man-star-wars4.htm |title=How the One Man Star Wars Trilogy Works (part 5) |author= Tracy V. Wilson |date=12 April 2006 |website= entertainment.howstuffworks.com |language=en |publisher= [[HowStuffWorks]] |access-date=2024-03-03 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201019234008/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/theater/one-man-star-wars.htm |archive-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> Ross also performed the show for [[Vin Diesel]] and the rest of the cast on the set of ''[[The Chronicles of Riddick]]''.<ref name="HSW5"/>

Ross performed the show in 2004 at the [[62nd World Science Fiction Convention]] masquerade half time show, at Star Wars [[Star Wars Celebration|Celebrations III and IV]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.starwars.com/community/event/celebration/news20041101.html |title=Star Wars: Community - One Man Star Wars Trilogy at Celebration III |access-date=2007-03-21 |date=2004-11-01 |publisher=StarWars.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230032318/http://www.starwars.com/community/event/celebration/news20041101.html |archivedate=2006-12-30 }}</ref> and the 2004 [[San Diego Comic-Con]].<ref name="SW-Comiccon">{{cite web |date=2004-07-20 |title=Star Wars: Community - Comic-Con International 2004 |url=https://www.starwars.com/community/event/con/f20040720/indexp6.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313092540/http://www.starwars.com/community/event/con/f20040720/indexp6.html |archivedate=2007-03-13 |accessdate=2007-03-21 |publisher=StarWars.com}}</ref>

In August 2005, Ross performed the show in [[Lamb's Theatre]], Off-Broadway, in [[New York City]].<ref name="PB Jones"/>

He also hosted a month-long sold-out run at the [[Edinburgh Fringe]] in the [[E4 (TV channel)|E4]] Cow Barn in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Live |first=Surrey |date=2007-06-06 |title=The force is with you for a Star Wars' solo |url=http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/find-things-to-do/force-you-star-wars-solo-4833977 |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=SurreyLive |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.onemanstarwars.com Official website]

[[Category:Canadian comedy plays]] [[Category:Star Wars fandom]] [[Category:2001 plays]] [[Category:Plays for one performer]] [[Category:Unofficial Star Wars media]]