‘The Jedi Handbook’ is a dork’s delight

Must one be a Star Wars fan to enjoy The Jedi Handbook, a coming-of-age comedy now playing at the Aurora Fox?

It certainly wouldn’t hurt. Stephen Massicotte’s play is rife with minute details about the characters in the first two original films, and much of the comedy comes from the two main characters’ backyard interpretations of the action. But there’s also plenty of broad comedy, particularly in Act Two, where the actions switches to The Empire Strikes Back alongside the two boys’ move into junior high and the world of proto adults and opposite-sex interaction.

The action kicks off in 1977 when a character only known as “Kid” (an excellent Mykail Cooley) sees the original Star Wars and is transformed by the experience. It also leads to a deep friendship with classmate James (Rashad Holland) when the two discover they’re both big fans. The first act depicts their total immersion in the world of Star Wars as they morph into cultish devotees who spend the entire summer acting out scenes in their backyards.

Read Toni Tresca’s story about the development of this show in Westword.

Hugo Jon Sayles plays the Kid’s older self, narrating some of the action from a stage-right chair that was clearly boosted from a star destroyer. Noelia Antweiler and Emily Fisher round out the cast as ensemble players who play bigger roles in Act Two as the prospective girlfriends to the two hopelessly dorky young teens.

The setup is somewhat reminiscent of A Christmas Story, where a grownup narrator looks back on a particularly meaningful part of his childhood with the bemused affection the passage of time allows. Instead of cowboy dreams with a BB gun, the driving force is the adventures of Luke, Han, Leia and Darth Vader. And as the boys work through the storylines of a galaxy far, far away, they eventually discover more about their own paths back in the real world.

I didn’t think the narrator in this one added as much as grown-up Ralphie did in A Christmas Story. Much of the narrative related by Sayles slowed the pace of the otherwise action-packed show, and I was confused as to why he appeared to be reading off a script on opening night.

Cooley and Holland do a great job portraying the two boys with their fervent dedication to the films’ action sequences and the growth of their relationship from boys to young men. Cooley in particular really sells the dorky kid who can’t shut up about his favorite thing (he also does a great Yoda). As James, Holland transcends any kind of sidekick role and builds a layered character who’s deeply conflicted by the girl stuff he seems to feel is being inflicted upon him.

Meanwhile, Antweiler and Fisher do great work playing a wide variety of characters from moms and teachers to storm troopers and Imperial officers before becoming the girls who nudge the boys into becoming beaus.

The boys must endure sharing their game-play with the girls. Clockwise from top left: Noelia Antweiler, Emily Fisher, Mykail Cooley, Rashad Holland | Photo: Gail Bransteitter

The Jedi Handbook benefits tremendously by having the great Geoffrey Kent as director. Kent is also an all-pro fight choreographer, lending a great deal of cred to the light-saber fights the boys enjoy so much. He also has a very well-done set to work with, designed by Brandon Philip Case. It’s simple but has some cool moving parts to replicate spaceship doors and plenty of surface for the excellent projections created by Topher Blair. Props also to Brett Maughan for the lighting design, Casey Burnham for the laser design and to stage manager Jen Orf for keeping the whole thing running smoothly.

While the play has plenty of laughs, at two-plus hours it seemed over-long, with some of the LARP-y stuff growing a bit tedious in places. Some of it had me wondering who this play is really for, but there’s little doubt it’ll appeal to Star Wars fans while also being a great show to take tweens and young teens to see. As the father of three sons, I related completely to the fact that once girls enter the scene, a lot of that geeky fixation on action figures and the like falls by the wayside. Although in this case, the girls seem willing to embrace the boys’ fantasy world — at least for now.

The Jedi Handbook plays through Dec. 18 with shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday matinees.