Special at Theatre of NOTE

Special is the World Premiere comedy that commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the worst variety show in television history with a behind-the-scenes imagined look of how The Star Wars Holiday Special came to be.
How could it miss? It was riding the coattails of what was at that point the most popular movie of all time. It featured appearances by cast members, including Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. It had great guest stars like Bea Arthur, Harvey Korman, Art Carney and (in holographic form) Jefferson Starship and Diahann Carroll. There was even a cartoon sequence (the first appearance of Boba Fett). The narrative involved the celebration of the Wookiee holiday Life Day (because there’s no Christmas in Space), as Chewie’s family wants to celebrate despite the intrusion of Imperial Storm Troopers.
What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
The Love Boat pulled better Nielsen numbers than The Star Wars Holiday Special. CBS never aired it again. You can find bootleg DVDs or see the show on the Internet, but never on your regular TV, cable, or streaming service.
How did it happen? See Special, the play, to find out.
Presented by Ol' Bait Shop Productions. A guest production at Theatre of NOTE.

Authors

• William Leavengood