Star Wars: The Panto Review - Darth Vader Would Approve

Space Wars: The Panto!, written by Jessica Puller and directed by Nicole Keating, is about a young boy named Mark Sleepwalker who dreams of going off on adventures.  Unbeknownst to Mark, his father is none other than the Lone Spaceman who valiantly tried to defeat the evil empire before mysteriously disappearing.  Flash forward twenty years and Mark’s mother is obsessed with marrying him off to bizarre galactic princesses.  After running away from his mother’s latest attempt, Mark ends up on a space odyssey that takes him to a distant planet where he must battle the evil Queen Livia and her nerdy, sci-fi movie obsessed son Fenton (who bears a striking resemblance to another famous space villain who also dresses in black and wears a mask).  Besides Star Wars, there are plenty of shout outs to sci-fi movies and shows including Mork and Mindy, Star Trek, and Harry Potter.  All of this is played for laughs in the Piccolo Theatre’s annual panto (a British style comedy where key roles are played by opposite gender actors).  Space Wars is easily the best cross-dressing sci-fi comedy I have ever seen.  Berner Taylor does a wonderful job as Mark Sleepwalker and audiences should have no problem accepting her as a somewhat awkward young man with a lot of self confidence.  Mark Sleepwalker’s mother, Susie Sleepwalker, is played by the very talented Andrew Puckett who embraces his role with a manic energy that is more than just typical drag queen.  Other standout actors included Lauren Goode (Queen Livia), Adrian Garcia (Fenton), and Kate Black-Spence (D.O.P.E.).  All the actors worked wonderfully together and combined puns, slap stick, inside jokes, and parody to elicit many laughs throughout the performance.  The music also is witty and original.  Set designs and special effects are decidedly low tech and fun and include such novel story telling devices as a crude slide projector complete with Popsicle stick held space ships.  The one thing Space Wars has little use for is the fourth wall as the actors bantered and pleaded with audience members throughout the play.  The audience also is encouraged to shout out warnings as necessary, applaud heroes, and boo villains.  The play is billed as family entertainment, but I would hesitate to bring my eight year old.  Not due to the subject matter, although there are some mild adult references, but more so to the length of the performance.  There were several slightly older children in attendance the night I reviewed the play and they did seem to enjoy themselves.

The Piccolo Theatre is housed in the Maine Street Metra Station and is accessed from a small coffee shop.  This location has many advantages.  If one lives on the right Metra rail line, transportation to and from should be incredibly easy.  Also, with knowledge of the train schedule you might not have to steal a glance at your watch to know what time it is.  The theatre is very intimate (50 total seats) and contributed to the running dialogue between actors and audience. 

The bottom line is, I would strongly recommend this play and look forward to future performances by the Piccolo Theatre.  Space Wars: The Panto! is playing every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until December 17, 2011.