If you have not heard about it yet, it’s worth pausing to hear about The Empire Strips Back. Lauded by critics and fans alike, this burlesque-sci-fi live production has sparked a new perspective on what Star Wars is all about. For long-term and newer fans, the show provides a hilarious tribute to the franchise, but also gives a unique angle from which to view it.
Table of Contents
What Is The Empire Strips Back?
This show is described as a “burlesque parody” of the main characters and events in Star Wars. It’s meant to be provocative in a sexual sense but also filled with comedy. The show provides a twist to the universe we know and love and is not exclusively about The Empire Strikes Back.
Filled with dance acts and unique costumes, Empire Strips sets out to be “stunning and hilarious.” It has earned positive reviews from publications like LA Weekly, which called the costuming “astounding” and “the energy of the dancers unparalleled.” This dark side journey aims to blend “seduction and sci-fi” through “Sultry Stormtroopers” and “a dangerously enticing Boba Fett.”
This video provides a sense of this erotic parody that appeals to those who are fans of Star Wars, burlesque shows, or both. On a similar track as Andor, but more so, the show is clearly for adult audiences who are looking for a fresh take on the franchise. Casual and die-hard fans seem to appreciate its originality (see more below about fan reactions).
The Empire Strips Back has toured in major cities in North America, such as Houston, Boston, and New York. It’s still running in Las Vegas, Seattle, and Portland, and is also scheduled for London. International shows have already taken place in such locales as Paris, France, and Melbourne, Australia.
Fan Reaction to The Empire Strips Back
This theater review by a Star Wars fan provides an entryway into the positive response to The Empire Strips Back. Coinciding with what the show claims, the reviewer states, “this funny, clever, technically brilliant, and yes, even sexy show is a must-see for Star Wars fans and anyone that likes a bawdy good time.”
To clarify, the above article indicates how the performance is not a “nudie show” and “isn’t just sexy women dancing in nerdy costumes around familiar movie props.” Instead, “the sequences get more and more elaborate” as the show progresses, including “high-energy” and highly choreographed dance routines.
Fans in this Reddit discussion also very much liked the show, appreciating the humor, “great props,” and “not quite as much nudity as you might think.” This review extends on the sentiments, specifying how “I was not expecting the level of dancing I saw” and the degree of laughter from the performance. Segments that had “Leia ballet dance around Artoo” were found to be “incredibly beautiful.”
Some fans didn’t follow the majority in their praise for The Empire Strips Back. One post here found the show to be “just a strip show with people dressed in Star Wars costumes.” Some reviews like this one took aim at aspects of the show, such as thinking the dance sequences were “too short” and the overall evening “too long”, including the “so-so master of ceremonies.” Yet, this reviewer ultimately highly recommended it.
Yet, this sampling of reviews and fan comments tends to confirm that the show appears to successfully combine the comedic with the sultry and a skilled performance with a fresh angle on Star Wars.
Is The Empire Strips Back Completely Different From Other Star Wars Creations?
With this show, we seem to have entered new Star Wars terrain. Creator Russall Beattie has spoken about how he zeroed in on Star Wars for his first parody show because of its pop culture clout. He sees its positive reception and that “it just keeps on going” because of its unique contribution to the franchise.
The traction of the show speaks to its uniqueness. “This tiny show morphed from touring like an Indie band” back in 2011 to offering “three simultaneous productions constantly touring North America” last year. This year also has “an enthusiastic audience of over 300,000” at times. Not all that attests to a different Star Wars element, but a good portion of it does.
This behind-the-scenes video addresses the uniqueness of the show. We probably have not seen a Taunton this way before, but the way the show solicits people’s “nostalgia for the original trilogy” and fuses it with “fundamental characters” from Empire Strikes Back. Along with the above reviews, we get a sense of the high production quality, including Chewie’s mask.
As for elements of the show that make it different, this review posits how the show “reverses the usual ‘Star Wars’ cast breakdown” with performances by “mostly gals and a couple of guys to mix things up.” This gender reversal follows some of the more recent Disney+ and sequel trends, such as with Ahsoka and Rey as the leading (or co-leading) character in The Force Awakens.
Aligned with its burlesque and Star Wars fusion, the show could be most unique because it speaks to “how ‘dark and sexy’ the rebellion really was,” at least in this fictional universe. In that effort, it departs from other franchise endeavors.
In comparison, we have had the Star Wars: In Concert series that had John Williams’ score with “specially edited footage” from the first six movies. Those performances attracted much attention and praise, drawing large audiences at places like the Hollywood Bowl. Yet, this kind of live performance is appealing to fans in a much different way than Empire Strips Back.
The Off-Broadway A Musical About Star Wars gets closer to the mark with its humor and design to be a “loving tribute to fandom.” However, we don’t have the same kind of risque element as the Empire performances, providing an intriguing angle to the galaxy.
Empire Strips Back and Star Wars
Parody and eroticism combine with the Empire Strips Back to the delight of Star Wars fans. The dancing, humor, and not-quite strip show nature of the performance has garnered positive responses and contributed to efforts to push the franchise in new directions.