The Off-Broadway production titled The One Man Star Wars Trilogy is a theatrical adaptation of the original Star Wars trilogy. This show was both written and is performed by Charles Ross, a Canadian actor, and it's directed by TJ Dawe. Its initial performance occurred in Toronto, Ontario during January of 2001. Since its debut, it has toured globally, reaching over 1,000 showings across 119 cities as of March 2007. Lucasfilm Ltd. has officially licensed the production, and it has been showcased at events such as Celebration III, Celebration IV, Celebration Europe, and Celebration V.
This stage show has a runtime of 75 minutes, although earlier versions were an hour in length, and features only one performer. Charles Ross embodies all the characters, replicating sound effects, integrating relevant trivia, performing selections from the John Williams musical score, simulating spacecraft flight, and enacting both sides of battle sequences. The concept for the show originated from a game of Frisbee where players would recite consecutive lines from the films while throwing and catching. His portrayal of R2-D2 has been lauded as highly accurate; however, Ross has commented that his Yoda voice sounds more like "a goblin sucking helium." It is said that Ross has viewed the original Star Wars movie more than 400 times.
Ross also applied this one-man concept to other film trilogies, notably The One Man The Lord of the Rings, which he performed in 2004 and 2005. However, he was instructed to cease performing it by the holder of the intellectual property rights.
The trajectory of Ross's show has taken it from performances primarily at fringe festivals to a touring production that consistently sells out and garners television appearances. In addition to the various Star Wars Celebrations, Ross has made appearances on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, The Today Show, and CBS's Late Late Show. Ross has also put on the show for Vin Diesel and the rest of the cast while they were on the set of The Chronicles of Riddick, during the masquerade halftime show at the world science fiction convention (Noreascon) in 2004, as well as at Comic-Con International 2004 in San Diego, CA.
- Business Site on www.onemanstarwars.com (archived from the original on September 28, 2008)
- Fan Site on www.onemanstarwars.com (archived from the original on September 28, 2008)