Star Wars will be fifty years old next year, which means those of us who saw it as children in the cinema back then now have a keen interest in comfortable sofas and back support. Star Wars: The Next Generation is a stand-up comedy show about a lifelong love of the movie Star Wars, and about passing that joy to the next generation of geeks.

Comedian Dan Willis opens the show by talking about what it was like to grow up in the late 20th century and how exciting it was to see Star Wars for the first time, in the days when it was just called Star Wars and not ‘A New Hope’. A movie so exciting they wanted to see it again and again, and luckily for them, that dream came true.

As they got older and wiser (and owned all the movies on DVD), they decided that once their daughter hit the age of twelve, it was probably time to introduce them to the force. Or at least the first three Star Wars movies released. (For some reason, the Ewok movies are never mentioned. Though Jar Jar Binks is.) The big build-up of the show is seeing how a child would react to the big reveal in The Empire Strikes Back, especially when you consider that misquoted line has become foundational in pop culture.

The humour is steady, and you don’t need to be a super-fan to understand the bulk of the comedy. However, there are a few nods and winks for those inclined.

This is a fun, family-safe, geeky show about a father who is very proud of their daughter. And who also happens to love the largest science-fiction fantasy franchises in human history. Dan is funny, warm and very good at what they do. We’d love to see more of their stuff, and we suspect convention-going fans would as well.

Star Wars: The Next Generation is a nice, geek-friendly stand-up show about the joy of being a parent and getting to raise a child in a way that you can share the things that matter to you with them.

You can find out more about the show, which is part of PBH’s Free Fringe, here.