Everyone has a different relationship to the “Star Wars” franchise, and it mostly depends on how old you are. I’m “Return of the Jedi” years old, so that’s the one I watched a thousand times before I discovered that a vocal majority of “Star Wars” fans hated the Ewoks and that “The Empire Strikes Back” is objectively the best of the Original Trilogy. But there are some crazy kids out there who think the Prequel Trilogy is the superior one, and the even youthier swear by the Sequel Trilogy. I guess there are also people who don’t like “Star Wars” at all and, although they’re entitled to their opinion, it’s OK to be wrong sometimes, too.
Regardless of where you land on “Star Wars,” watching a lineup of some of the best actors who have ever graced a stage in Bend doing “Star Wars: LIVE,” a reading of the entire OT across three days, is a damn treat for the eyeballs and ear holes. Featuring Sabrina Cooper as Luke Skywalker, Vanessa Farnsworth as Princess Leia, Gary Loddo as Obi-Wan, Cody Parr as Darth Vader, Todd Hansen as Han Solo, Gary Fulkerson as Chewie, Trevor Graciano as C3PO, Cody Michael as Lando Calrissian, Craig Zagurski as The Emperor and Leah Rutz as the Narrator — plus Slade and Charlotta Love as all the other characters as well as filmmaker Taylor (“The Last Blockbuster”) Morden as the puppeteer, this is going to be a massive event for fans.
If you’ve caught any of the live readings from the “Lights, No Camera, Action” series produced by Unlocked Films and directed by filmmaker Jesse Locke, then you know how mind-bogglingly fun these events can be. Over the years Locke has put on “Reservoir Dogs,” “Clue,” “Fight Club,” “The Great Outdoors,” “Ghostbusters,” “Friday the 13th” and “Die Hard.” The readings are fast and insane, breaking the third wall, bringing in props, special effects and pre-filmed shenanigans to create an unpredictable experience that is hard to describe unless you’ve been to one of the readings.
“At the most (“Return of the Jedi”) we will have 13 people on stage,” says Locke. “Actors playing the famous roles, a narrator, me working visuals, lights and sound effects and a puppeteer (Taylor Morden). We are choreographing every light saber battle, so they will be happening onstage. We’ve got a life size R2D2 and a 6-foot Jabba the Hutt. For certain scenes we will be cutting in and out of re-enacted video scenes using old “Star Wars” toys. There will be a ton of physical props including a Wampa/asteroids (thrown into the audience)/wigs, etc., all being done by our incredible stage managers Amber Hansen and Betsy Alexander.”
Playing such iconic characters is a pretty fun challenge for most of the actors. Todd Hansen (playing Han Solo) already had a bit of a head start. “Harrison Ford was pretty much the star of the first three movies I saw as a kid,” says Hansen. “Loads of my prototype personality as a kid was built off Han Solo and Indiana Jones. I’ve already been (more or less) playing Han Solo for the last five decades.” As someone who has known Hansen for two of those decades…can confirm.
Vanessa Farnsworth (playing Leia) also lived and breathed the character long before this reading. “I am thrilled to be taking on Leia,” says Farnsworth, “a role that I have absorbed into my own personality over the decades and, hopefully, do the justice this badass princess, rebel and general deserves.”
Sabrina Cooper (playing Luke) has a similar connection to the OT. “On some level, I have been preparing for this role since I was seven years old,” says Cooper. “I think the character of Luke, how his journey resonated with me at that age, has never really left me. On another level, though, I am a trans woman and I can’t help but interpret Luke through a trans lens. Here is a kid who, like me, grew up poor, in the middle of nowhere, no dad, not really many friends and he stands at a tremendous crossroads. He has known a lot of loss and he’s confused and angry and looking for direction. But he’s desperately trying not to grow into his father. To be a different sort of man. And when he finds his strength, it isn’t in violence, but in gentleness. His hero’s journey isn’t that of a typical macho action hero who overpowers his opponent with brute force. Luke wins by embracing pacifism and forgiveness. His victory is in becoming a better version of himself and that’s something I think everyone, but particularly queer folks can relate to.”
It’s puppeteer Taylor Morden who gives the simplest and most perfect bonafides for the show though: “Star Wars” is rad,” says Morden. “This show is radder.”
See you there.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 2nd, 2024.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
