By Ashlee O’Neil
Walking up to the second story of the Bard’s Town felt as though I was heading up to the mysterious unknown. As soon as I walked in I was encouraged to grab an “asteroid”, which was actually a crumbled ball of aluminum foil. The room was wall-to-wall with chairs and every seat was filled. “Star Wars in 60 Minutes or Less,” summarizes the first trilogy of the series into what seems like an impossibly short amount of time. Seeing that I am not the most avid “Star Wars” fan I was a bit skeptical of the concept. That skepticism slowly faded when catchy pop music, incorporated with “Star Wars” lyrics, began to play in the background helping everyone get into the spirit of the show.
The play quickly started with all five of the actors enthusiastically chanting the famous “Star Wars” theme song. From that point on it was all laughs. The actors ran rambunctiously across the stage, each playing multiple characters with haphazard costumes. Darth Vader, for instance, (played by Tony Smith, who also directed the play) came out in what looked like shoulder pads, black sunglasses and a hat. Throughout the show some of the actors even switched off playing the same characters. Every scene was witty and hilarious. The more humorous parts of the show were those that were completely improvised. If an actor messed up the other actors would run with it. They gave the blunder a comedic twist which the audience seem to gobble up.
I appreciated the simplicity of the show. What the play lacked in set layout and props, the actors made up for in their hi-jinx. Even though they moved swiftly through the movies the audience followed along. Fair warning for those who have never seen the “Star Wars” trilogy, I would encourage viewing the movies beforehand or else you will be completely lost throughout the show. The actors did a excellent job incorporating the audience. Everyone was encouraged to help create sound effects such as a light-saber “swoosh” or a “blaster.” I took pleasure in throwing aluminum foil balls at Han Solo (Chris Petty), while he raced through the asteroid field.
While the show may not have been for everyone, it was easy to see that the main goal of the play was to entertain the audience. Whether you are an avid “Star Wars” fanatic or, like me, have only seen the trilogy twice it was hard not to become engrossed in the play. Luckily for those who missed the performances this past weekend, the Alley Theater will be returning to the Bard’s Town March 7th and 8th at 10:00 p.m. If you are looking for a laugh, I highly encourage you to view this play.
Newburg 342 