How Star Wars Saved My Life - Some Assembly Theatre Company

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How Star Wars Saved My Life carries, first and foremost, a message of hope. Yes, it has moments that are deeply disturbing and heartbreaking, but it is also full of joy and wonder and love and courage. Tears are welling up for me just writing about the experience.

This one man play is based on an essay written in 2008 by Dr Nicholas Harrison entitled: “Unleashing the Jedi Within: Reclaiming a Stolen Childhood Through the Power of the Force.” It's a geeky, innocent, heartrending, impassioned telling of a little boy's story of early childhood abuse and how he grew (with the help of his family, the Force and his friend R2D2) from victim to survivor to Jedi.

Director Valerie Methot and writer/actor Nicholas Harrison did a fantastic job with this piece. Set/lighting designer John Webber and composer/musician Ken Lawson must also get a shout out for the atmospheric music and magical set. It's real, it's raw, it's relatable, for geeks and non-geeks alike. Although if you are a geek I think this piece will resonate within you at a whole different level. I know it did for me.
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This is the first production of this piece, I hope of many more. It runs until Dec 10th 2017 at Performance Works on Granville Island if you have a chance to catch it this time around.
​If not, check out the website at http://starwarssavedmylife.com/

~  reviewed by Danielle Benzon