‘The Force is mediocre with this one’, Fanboy misses the chance to create a truly nostalgic experience for all its audience, instead it feels that the production is aimed towards Liberal minded Star Wars fans only. I am fortunate enough to belong to one of these categories…but not the most important one for watching this production – that being a Star Wars fan.
Joe Sellman-Leava’s insight into his journey of where he is now and where he could be heading, sets out to be a great foundation for a gripping one-man play. In Joe’s portrayal of himself we explore the Joy’s, the challenges, and the normality of being a ‘Fanboy’ that represents a strong connection with his younger self. A self-professed ‘Nerd’ who loves Nintendo Games, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Star Wars, Joe struggles to understand the concept of people letting their childhood become tainted. Joe wants to preserve his Childhood memories, and not let anything ruin these memories, as much as his older self would love to warn him of the traps of the realities of Joe’s life.
The production is difficult to explain without mentioning every bit of information, something I can’t fully do – even if I wanted - as my knowledge of Star Wars is not strong enough. If you haven’t already gathered, you need to be an avid Star Wars fan to understand the connotations of the play text. Therefore, sat there in the Mid-scale venue, The Drum, at Theater Royal Plymouth, I felt lost, out of place and watching something that I could only engage with in small glimpses. The venue almost felt like it drowned out the performance and the intimacy that was needed.
The construction of the piece slowly falls away while watching, exposing the solid foundation for something that could have been special for all watching. The opening moments of the play we are treated to a myriad of clever and sharp impressions into a microphone on stage left, undoubtedly demonstrating Joe Sellman-Leava’s talents as an actor. Unfortunately, it is a technique that is repeated no were nearly as frequently enough to have any impact, yet it is a standout element.
It is then premised by Joe that he will be using an old VHS recording to bring to life his younger self, this effect is something great…to start with, and then becomes something contrived, this breaking the illusion of nostalgia.
It felt almost like the piece bit of more than it could Chewie, trying to explore too many social-political themes that undoubtedly are key milestones in shaping the characters within the piece, but did not feel relevant to the wider context of the story being told. The attempt to do this resulted in there being a blur of who the Main Character is within play, ironically something asked by Older Joe about The Phantom Menace. However, these themes were well explored, with clever writing and well-suited theatrical devices.
Although clearly not something that I personally enjoyed, I would say…Go see this if you are already a Star Wars fan at a Fringe Festival…or force yourself to watch the Star Wars films and become imbedded in the Star Wars Universe before seeing this production.
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