Pretty much everyone knows that Darth Vader is one of the most bad-ass villains in cinematic history. But did you also know that he once wanted to turn over a new leaf and be "one of the guys?" Or that his favorite flavor of ice cream is "Wookies & Cream?"
If not, then hightail it over to Ferndale's Go Comedy! Improv Theater for "Space Fight," one of the most creative "Star Wars" spoofs I've seen in ages. And you needn't be a "Star Wars" nerd to enjoy it!
June, apparently, is "Star Wars" Month in Metro Detroit, since the popular sci-fi series is the inspiration behind not one, but four plays currently playing (or about to) on two different area stages. Whereas Joseph Zettelmaier's "All Childish Things" trilogy at Planet Ant Theatre is a modern-day drama about a group of friends whose common link is their love of George Lucas' cinematic space opera, "Space Fight" presents a comedic look at the battle between Vader's Empirical forces and the Rebellion – but from an off-camera, behind-the-scenes perspective.
The performance opens with the familiar summary scrolling up a video screen. (It's of the yet-to-be-produced Episode VII). But only seconds in, an adorable little girl appears onscreen and tells the story in her own words. It's a cute and delightful twist, one that sets the tone for the rest of the 60-minute comedy.
As the plot unfolds, we're introduced to a troop of Rebel recruits who are more focused on why they can't have lightsabers than learning how to use the blasters they've been assigned. Meanwhile, two of their Empirical counterparts plan to find Vader's living quarters and settle a bet: Is he a cool guy or not? (The bet is made while the two are at a Cantina wet T-shirt contest, which might explain the insanity of their endeavor.)
But the destruction of the Death Star and the impact it had on his troops send Vader into a deep funk. So he decides to become a new man.
The result, of course, leads to a number of uncomfortable encounters – and that's where creators Jen Hansen and Pete Jacokes serve some of the show's wittiest moments. That's especially true of an elevator ride in which Vader innocently asks a question that's taken the wrong way, and later, when he arrives at his new Death Star, but is stopped by security personnel and required to submit to a search before he can enter.
Other moments are equally creative, such as the "The Sith Sense" training videos and the graphics that flash on the screen during scene changes. So too is the sight gag pertaining to the Ewoks.
In fact, Hansen and Jacokes' script scores direct hits pretty much throughout the show, thanks to Jacokes' fine direction (with an assist by Jansen) and the ensemble teamwork of Tim Kay, Sean May, Matt Naas, Travis Pelto, Chris Petersen and Bob Wieck. (Naas, in particular, uses his voice and body quite well to portray the moods of the always-masked Vader.)
My only difficulty at a recent Thursday performance was trying to figure out which characters I was watching as we moved from scene to scene, since each actor plays multiple characters and it wasn't always immediately apparent which was which and who was who!
All of the uncredited technical elements are well conceived and executed.
REVIEW:
'Space Fight'
Go Comedy! Improv Theater, 261 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale. 8 p.m. every Thursday through July 29. $10 for the evening. 248-327-0575. http://www.gocomedy.net
