‘Improv Wars: The Laugh Jedi’ review
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
5/5
The advance tickets of the next Star Wars film, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi are available now, and most of them including early screenings are sold out. However, if you want to see something Star Wars-related while you wait for the film to be released, there is a show from the Vancouver TheatreSports League that has everything Star Wars with improv.
Improv Wars: The Laugh Jedi has all the excitement of the Star Wars film series except that everything is improvised. In the show, laughter is starting to disappear in the galaxy, and a Jedi Master (Bill Pozzobon) asks the audience if they are members of the Jedi Council to help him find the Laugh Jedi and save the galaxy.
In the first half of the show, six characters from the Star Wars universe both dead and alive try to get the title of the Laugh Jedi by doing various improv challenges. Since the show is improv, every performance is different and based off audience participation. In the performance I attended, we had Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, an Empire officer, Aunt Beru, C-3PO, and Jabba the Hutt. You will see other characters in the Star Wars universe in every show including Rey, Poe, and Princess Leia.
As the first half progressed, characters were eliminated one by one until we found the Laugh Jedi. In one challenge, Aunt Beru, C-3PO, and Jabba the Hut had to make a speech to the Galactic Senate. I suggested to them that they talk about taxes. I was laughing a lot during a challenge called Special Edition where two people who are in the league played two people from visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, and the Jedi Master went on a rant about the many changes in the film series throughout the years.
In the second half of the show, the character who is the Laugh Jedi tries to bring laughter back to the galaxy, the character who comes in second is led to the dark side by Palpatine, and the audience decides how the story continues. For the performance I saw, the empire officer was the Laugh Jedi, C-3PO was led to the dark side, and Yoda made an appearance in it. Jabba the Hutt spoke in his native language and this created a lot of funny moments in the performance.
Throughout the show, there are references to what is happening in Canadian politics right now and millennials. Even if you are not a fan of Star Wars, there are jokes about not knowing about Star Wars for people in the audience who are unfamiliar with the series.
The many references to Star Wars in the show caused it to feel almost like watching a film in the actual series. So, while you are preparing yourself for the next Star Wars film, you can keep yourself entertained with this funny show about Star Wars. Improv Wars: The Laugh Jedi is now playing at The Improv Centre until November 18.
