Well, if this isn’t the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen, it comes pretty close. “Wicket: The Untold Story of the Ewoks of Bright Village” is theater that refuses to take itself seriously. And we are all the better for it.
By the time the Ewoks have triumphed in the show (as we know they will), there is very little left unskewered in the far-far-away galaxy that has landed at Shea’s Smith Theatre. Creators Travis Sharp and Haddon Kime have done their homework, even tweaking a few things with director Joey Bucheker for this fresh Buffalo premiere presented by O'Connell & Company.
The arch villain remains the Emperor, back from the dead yet again to challenge these “Care Bears from outer space” in an epic battle over ... copyright infringement? In a wickedly effective transformation by makeup and costume designers Adams M. Wall and Timmy Goodman, actor John Kreuzer nearly steals the show playing Palpatine something like the love child of George Lucas and Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons." As evidence: His first song is “All Mine,” as in “Mine, all mine!”
People are also reading…
The Emperor meets his match in the Ewoks, who join forces under the leadership of the tiny, plucky Wicket Wesley Warwick, the Ewok who first encounters Princess Leia. Sam Crystal’s Wicket could not be more adorable, just as the Lucasfilm marketing division intended, although in the case “lovable” sometimes translates to “horny.” Unlike the original Ewoks, this show isn’t aimed at kids.
Megan Mahaney’s Leia can easily handle Wicket and everything else that comes her way, as she boasts in song while strutting the stage “I’m the REAL Death Star – and I’m fully functional!”
Unlike most of “Star Wars,” other women also show up here, even in the traditionally all-male Empire, much to the Emperor’s astonishment. Jetaun Louie gets some of the best moments in space as the Ensign with the out-of-this-world voice.
And, though he is proudly sexist, the Emperor denies any racism, noting “My best friend is Black.” In this case, he means it. Rather than Vadar, we have Jake Hayes chewing it up as a turncoat Ewok hoping to get rich in the toy industry.
Meanwhile, we do our best to keep up. As scenic designer Bill Baldwin’s set is constantly switching from Endor to the Death Star and back again, this fast-paced send-up is shooting out gags faster than proton torpedoes from a starfighter.
There’s Wookiepedia, and a line about knowing “who shot first,” and speaking of shots, a bit of “Hamilton” just for fun. Jar Jar Binks gets a walk-on, the wounded and worse get dragged off and, before you know it, it’s “Bye Felicia!”
With more than a dozen players in the cast as the singing Ewoks and dancing Stormtroopers, the show emits a big, rowdy energy, further enabled by live music directed by Lucas Colon. After all, there’s no way they could have done all of this … solo. (ouch.)
Theater review
Presented by O’Connell & Company
What: Raucous musical parody of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” from the perspective of the Ewoks.
Where: Shea’s Smith Theatre, 660 Main St.
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 19 plus shows at 3 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Tickets: $35; discounts for students and seniors (sheas.org).
Summary: This is a gift to “Star Wars” fans who will enjoy all the jokes aimed at this rich pop-culture target. For best results watch the “Jedi” movie before you go, if you don’t already know it by heart.
