One Man Takes on a Classic

Nov. 15, 2014

Charlie Ross loves Star Wars. So much so that he’s actually turned it into a career.

Ross’ one-man show - the aptly-named One Man Star Wars Trilogy - is a nerd-actor’s tour de force.

ACROBATIC ACTING

In the show, which will be making a stop at CTAC in Petoskey, Ross inhabits all of the major characters from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, from his kid-turned-hero take on Luke Skywalker to his spot-on C3PO voice, the menacing tones of his version of Darth Vader to his impression of Princess Leia’s cinnamon-roll hairdo.

His voices, facial expressions, movements, and acrobatic recreations of key scenes in the movies are, as Vader would say, "most impressive."

Otherwise, the whole show is just Ross himself, dressed in black (complete with knee/ elbow pads for the physical parts of his energetic impressions) and in nonstop movement across an equally empty stage. If you love Star Wars too, this is a must-see.

HIDDEN HEROES

"The inspiration to put a show together was to not be unemployed, which happens a lot when you’re an aspiring actor," Ross laughed.

"But I knew the story (of Star Wars) very well. I just think that Star Wars appeals to the little person inside of us. Luke Skywalker isn’t the typical hero - he’s from a farm, yet he possesses hidden powers. We all wish we had hidden attributes, I’m sure, and these stories are the epic of epic blockbuster films."

Star Wars, he emphasized, was more than "just" a film - he considers it a cultural event that affected people across the globe.

"I had seen the trilogy an absurd amount of times as a kid, enough so that I could riff on it forever, doing sequences of the movies," Ross said.

But while he never particularly thought about anyone else finding it funny, his good friend and director TJ Dawe assured him that others would love what he was doing, "and he was right," Ross confirmed.

FILM FOCUS

Ross and Dawe worked together to hone all three films into about an hour of characterizations and choreography to make up Ross’ one-man show, a challenge that he said was mostly a mind over matter hurdle, not easily fought with a lightsaber, but instead a battle of mental focus.

"I had to stop worrying about the impressions that weren’t so great, and focus on what was. I just had to stick to the story line we were highlighting," he said.

A couple of the characters he likes playing best in the show are Luke Skywalker ("because he’s a whiner") and Jabba the Hutt ("because he’s unexpected!") - but perhaps his very favorite is the forboding dark Emperor.

"What an evil jerk he is to play," Ross said. "I love it!"

And to further Ross’ glee, he found out that Lucasfilm loved how he’s been interpreting their creation. After discovering Ross performing the show, they reached out to him by email, forming a friendly relationship.

COSMIC CORNERSTONE

"We decided that a proper license was needed (for him to continue performing the Star Wars material), which felt great, and still is great," Ross said. "They trust me to carry the torch as an ambassador for Star Wars, a job I take seriously."

And it’s a job that’s still going strong, perhaps not surprising given the combo of the huge fanbase for the Star Wars series, plus Ross’ talent.

Given his success so far, having performed the show over 1,200 times in over 180 cities and four continents, he’s already started putting together one-man shows for The Hobbit and Pride and Prejudice.

But his favorite Star Wars will always be the cornerstone.

"One Man Star Wars Trilogy is always touring," Ross said. "This is a job I couldn’t have imagined I’d ever get to do for a living."

One Man Star Wars Trilogy will be performed at the Crooked Tree Arts Center Theatre in Petoskey on Saturday, November 22 at 7:00 pm. Tickets: $10 students/$25 members/$35 non-members. For more info, visit www.crookedtree.org.