The Force Is with Him

Once upon a time, in a country far, far away (Canada), a little boy’s poor television reception was to have a profound impact on the rest of his life. Because young Charles Ross got hardly any channels, he resorted to watching VHS tapes of the original Star Warstrilogy. Over and over again. By the time he was ten, he’d seen the original Star Wars400 times and memorized every line.

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• Charles Ross
• Star Wars
• Jane Fonda
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Thankfully, he wasn’t alone. The thousands of other fans who grew up in awe of Boba Fett and Han Solo now flock to see Ross in his show, the One-Man Star Wars Trilogy. It is both a send-up of the original films, and a loving tribute to them. For example, in place of the films’ famous introduction, yellow text fading into a background of stars, Ross says, “Here are the yellow words! Where are they going?” Then he gets to running, jumping, and playing with light sabers, impersonating all of the beloved characters and sweating – a lot. So much that he told Esquire, “I’ve always thought that my show was a little like Jane Fonda meets Sea World meets Star Wars because of all the liquid flying. If you sit in the front row, you’re gonna get covered.”

If repeated viewing is any indication of a show’s quality, note this: a woman in Chicago told Spinmagazine that she’s seen the One-Man Star Wars Trilogy34 times. Ross performs it at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) March 7 through 12. Tickets cost $25. Call 561-832-7469, or visit www.kravis.org.
March 7-12