Inspiration for the show began a long time ago, in a living room far, far away. When Ross finished performing, his elbow- and kneepads thoroughly scuffed and black clothes drenched in sweat, the 3,000 sci-fi fans in the audience stood up and cheered like braying Wookiees. That led to an invitation from Lucasfilm to appear at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con, the mecca of science-fiction conventions. Word eventually reached the offices of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. "He runs around the stage, he rolls around the stage, he jumps around the stage," says van Beuningen, who has now seen the show 35 times. When Ross reached Chicago in 2003, he performed his high-energy shtick on a stage the size of a kitchen table, much to the amazement of audience member Kathy van Beuningen. Ross spent three years - longer than Han Solo was frozen in carbonite - touring fringe festivals and small towns and cities such as Dubuque, Iowa. But his CliffsNotes version of "Star Wars" hasn't been an overnight success. He's been interviewed for forthcoming issues of Esquire and Spin magazines and his off-Broadway debut in August has been heralded in a full-page ad in The New York Times. Last week, Ross was invited to talk and perform on The Late, Late Show on CBS. If you capitalize on somebody's idiosyncrasy and you heighten it - just slightly - it makes for a sort of mockery, but at the same time I like to have a tone of respect." "I can sometimes make small commentary or I can simply just do an impression. "It's a homage," says Ross, but he quickly adds that he pokes fun at the space opera, too. Capitalizing on the momentum, Ross's flurry of summer performances across the United States culminates in a three-month engagement at Lamb's Theater in New York. Improbable as it may sound, Ross accomplishes the whole thing in 58 minutes.ĭemand for Ross's critically acclaimed show is suddenly hotter than the twin suns of Tatooine now that "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" - which has earned a record $271.2 million in 12 days - has restored balance to the Force by reviving public interest in a waning franchise. Ross sings John Williams's theme music, mimes the crawling yellow text at the beginning of each episode, replicates the sound effects of whooshing X-Wing Starfighters, and impersonates all the characters, even minor ones such as Admiral Akbar, the tunic-wearing squid-like creature that makes Jabba the Hut look like a pretty boy. Without the use of props - or any other actors - Mr. Charles Ross's touring stage show, "The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy," is as audacious as the title suggests.
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