It’s hardly a music show, but it is so entertaining. The Empire Strips Back is a stage performance out of Australia created by Russall S. Beattie, brought to Cleveland, Ohio as part of their North American tour.. It’s not a chronological story, but narrated skits containing characters you know, in a different and yet fully evolved universe.
"Without giving too much away, the standout moments for me were actor Drew Fairley breaking the fourth wall with sharp comic timing, and Miss Burlesque New South Wales 2018, Kael Murray, working her Landspeeder routine." Asking other audience members what they enjoyed, most everyone had a different scene in mind. There was one scene, so purposefully bad, it was fantastic, and it will not be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it.
It is a humorous show, but there was a Tw’lek scene that seemed much more like an interpretive dance number. It was placed so deliberately within the show that no one questioned why it was there — and it worked! I was taken in by it and can’t remember the audience’s reaction, but I think I recall it being silence.
Asher Bowen-Saunders’ Thousand Galaxies Tw’lek Glare
The attention to detail and ingenuity to put together this live show was terrific, with only one glaring flaw. In my eyes, it’s not as heinous as Greedo shooting first, but somewhere around Ace Venture Pet Detective’s “Laces Out” Finkle fiasco. Someone needs to tell Han Solo, that’s not the way you hold a ghetto blaster (You see what I did there?). The boom box is always held with the speakers toward the holder when brought to the shoulder. Of course, we’ll let it slide. Maybe that’s the way they do it in Australia.
One other note, you’ll catch in the below interview is that in the U.S. you’re not allowed to have pyrotechnics attached to anyone on stage, so the Fett had to go without her flame throwers, (a photo I was hoping to get). Everything else was flawless. Even dealing with unruly patrons or hecklers was shut down immediately, with quick discourse.
They finished off this leg of their tour on May 4th in New York City, but they are planning more shows in the second half of this year. If The Empire Strips Back makes it to your city, go. It's the kind of show you'll be describing to people for weeks.
Getting a few minutes with Russall S. Beattie before The Empire Strips Back took the stage in Cleveland, Ohio was a genuine privilege. As an event photographer who has covered everything from intimate acoustic sets to large-scale productions, this show stood in a category of its own. Beattie has built something rare — a live performance that is equal parts spectacle, comedy, and craft. If you haven't seen it, this interview will give you a taste of the mind behind it.