A Galaxy Not Far, Far Away

Gaslight Theatre turns classic into humorous melodrama with its production ‘Space Wars’

BY LAURA LATZKO

“Star Wars” and its beloved cast of characters ranging from Darth Vader to Lando Calrissian have won over the hearts of moviegoers.

The Gaslight Theatre will poke fun of that with the parody “Space Wars” from Thursday, June 10, to Sunday, August 29.

The production stars familiar and new performers. Most actors will play one role, but a few will pull double duty. Jake Chapman is tasked with Dark Brawl and Shuey, and Jacob Brown will star as MP3PO and Yoga.

The lineup also features Janee Page as Princess Layla, Erin Thompson as Zarphixia, Ruthie Hayashi as Vendala, Todd Thompson as Lance, and David Orley as Sobe Kal.

A 17-year theater veteran, Mike Yarema will reprise his role as Duke, the show’s hero. He says he enjoys returning to a character like Duke.

“It’s always good when you’ve played the part before. It makes it like putting on a comfy old shoe,” Yarema says.

The dynamics change, however, when castmates change.

“You will come up with di erent jokes and come up with di erent ways to mess with each other onstage,” Yarema says. “We’re very improv heavy. As we get comfortable with the show, we will, as actors, take liberty with the script.”

Yarema helped writer-director Peter Van Slyke pen the show.

“We have people attend multiple times in a row because they want to see how the show started out, and they want to see what we ended up doing to it by the end of the run.”

Like other Gaslight productions, “Space Wars” will have large-scale musical numbers and comedic dialogue and characterizations.

The production draws from the original three “Star Wars” lms, telling the story of Duke’s personal journey.

“The story of the show is the story of Duke Star ghter coming from a nobody farm boy to realizing the fate of the universe is in his hands,” Yarema says. “He has to learn how to become what we call a ‘galactic knight’ to defeat the evil in the universe.”

Although most of the characters are inspired by the classic lms, a few are drawn from later material, including Dark Brawl.

The show parodies music from the ’70s and ’80s, making them t the sci- theme. One tune is a galactic-focused spoof of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).”

Like the lm series, the theatrical production uses special e ects to create illusions, such as characters ying through space and the narrative used in the opening crawl.

Yarema says the company explored special e ects with the rst production of “Space Wars” and later incorporated it into other shows. “Back in those days, we had been used to doing plays the way that we had, without a lot of extra tech,” Yarema says. “Our technical things would be something on a stick or something on a string. We still do that in this show, but we have made some advances that were out of our comfort zone. It really made us realize as we moved forward into the other shows that when we tackle some of these sci- things, we can get even more brazen with our technical stu .”

Fight choreography will be in top form when the characters engage in lightsaber battles. These scenes brought back memories for Yarema.

“We would pretend to have lightsabers if we had a ashlight. The rst time I ever did it, I felt like a kid again,” Yarema says.

Audience members are encouraged to get involved by cheering for the heroes and booing the villains. They’re also welcome to dress as their favorite characters.

To align with pandemic times, “Space Wars” will operate at a reduced capacity to keep audiences and cast members safe.

“Financially, it’s been a really challeng-

The Gaslight Theatre brings a parodied version of “Star Wars” with special e ects, over-the-top characters and comedic moments. (Photos by Brian Gawne) Space Wars...continues on page 13

Space Wars...continued from page 12 ing year for the theater,” Yarema says. “As I understand it, there was a period of time where we almost shut down. We are really happy to be in this position where we are putting on shows for an audience. We’re really not out of the woods yet when it comes Gaslight Theatre’s production of “Space Wars” will star Mike Yarema as to our local the- Duke and Jacob Brown aters. as Yoga.

“There’s still a long way to go. The entertainment industry, by the nature of how we do in our craft and how we get lots of people together, is going to be one of the last things that recovers. We are really hoping for our fans and the community to show up and enjoy the show with us. Without them, our theater and other theaters are still at risk of closing.”

MORE INFO

What: Gaslight Theatre’s “Space Wars” When: Various times Thursday, June 10, to Sunday, August 29 Where: Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Cost: $23.95 for adults; $13.95 for children; $21.95 for seniors, students and military Info: 886-9428, thegaslighttheatre.com

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