The Star Wars of Penzance, Scene 4

[jana_ch]

(Mabel disappears and the Jawas exit. Obi-wan enters.)

Fred: Obi-wan! We were just going to go look for you. But what good will it do to audition you if I can't get the Princess Mabel, too?

Obi-wan: But I know where to find the Princess.

Fred: You do!?

Obi-wan: Yes, she's being held captive by the evil Lord Vader aboard his Death Star

Comments

My Life as a Librettist

[jana_ch]

Ah, the difficulties of turning a nearly all-male story into an opera! It would be easy if I were parodying Benjamin Britten, but this is Gilbert and Sullivan. Luke's Aunt Beru was the only one available for my Formidable Contralto, so she gets Han Solo's job. I never liked Han Solo anyway. I also need her to fill out my meagre excuse for a women's chorus.

This section contains another sign of the piece's 1970s heritage: Fred's reference to "all the Coke in China." Coca-Cola had just gotten its franchise to sell soft drinks in Red China, as we called it then. This was big news at the time; by referring to current events I follow the model of my poetic guru, W.S. Gilbert. "Ohhh, Captain Shaaaaw...!"

Coming up next, the patter song!

Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith JcH: Do whatever you like with Wagner, but mess with Gilbert and Sullivan and you die!

[tarlonis]

Holy Schnikies! I love this...so...much. I found you because of a comment (or 3) that you'd made on the Zona site and was curious what I might find here and now I'm quite pleased that I did.