Entertainment

JOSEPH HUDAK For The Times Leader

When Anthony Daniels, the English actor who breathed life into the metal body of fussy droid C-3PO in all six “Star Wars” films, ambles onto the Wachovia Arena’s stage in Wilkes-Barre Township on Tuesday night, don’t expect the narrator of “Star Wars: In Concert” to be shining brightly in Threepio’s constrictive gold costume.

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’Star Wars: In Concert’ involves a live orchestra, stunning visuals, narration and an exclusive exhibit of costumes and props.

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“I come out in a black lounge suit. It’s very comfortable,” says Daniels, who nonetheless suspects he’ll be slipping into his iconic alter ego while hosting the orchestral spectacle. “Threepio’s character is almost impossible not to slip into now and again. The audience will be amused enough to relive little moments, and that’s enormous fun for me—without having to put the costume on.”

The cumbersome costume, which Daniels says was constantly breaking on the Tunisian set of 1977’s “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” will be on display in the arena’s concourse, along with other props and memorabilia from that fabled galaxy, far, far away.

Daniels implores audiences to arrive early to properly tour the exhibit but also to avoid any chance of missing the show’s dramatic opening. “Traffic? Set off early, please! The start is very beautiful and exciting,” he says.

First staged in the United Kingdom last April, the multimedia event incorporates the music of “Star Wars” composer John Williams as performed by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, while scenes from the movies unspool on an enormous high-definition screen behind the stage. “My face is about 80 feet across on that screen,” Daniels says. “You won’t miss a word of what I say, as I tell the story of ‘Star Wars’ from the very beginning right to the very end, when Darth Vader dies and is redeemed.”

It’s that message of redemption that Daniels believes resonated with moviegoers across the globe, propelling George Lucas’s sci-fi morality tale into box-office history and the pop-culture stratosphere. A universe of tie-in products followed: action figures, sleeping bags, an R2-D2 cookie jar, even a breakfast cereal—Kellogg’s C-3PO’s.

“It was pretty sugary, I remember,” says Daniels, who reveals that he still has an unopened box of the crunchy treat in his possession. “The cereal and the holiday (television) special were not among my high points.”

While Daniels may not hold 1978’s admittedly surreal Star Wars Holiday Special in high regard (it showcased a singing Princess Leia and the celebration of Chewbacca’s Wookie holiday, “Life Day”), he has grown to appreciate the importance of the “Star Wars” franchise in fans’ lives. “Only in the past couple of years have I come to the understanding that millions of people around the planet adore something I was a part of. People who like ‘Star Wars’ have a common interest that they can explore, because like John Williams’ music, it’s full of depth and levels that are quite inspirational,” Daniels says.

But, he stresses, “Star Wars” neophytes—non-Jedis, if you will—also will enjoy themselves at Tuesday’s performance. “For those who have never seen ‘Star Wars,’ they will learn everything they need to know. And for people who adore live classical music, to hear this fine English orchestra is a unique experience,” says Daniels, who once conducted the Boston Pops—as C-3PO.

“Star Wars: In Concert,” he says, is very different than listening to a CD at home. Here, audiences are feeling emotion, whether it’s a beautiful violin solo for Princess Leia or the majesty of Darth Vader’s ‘Imperial March.’ It’s a united experience.”

Daniels remembers his own shared experience with Sir Alec Guinness, whom he introduced himself to on that first flight to Tunisia a long time ago. “We both knew that we were on something strange. When we (landed), he asked, ‘Have they given you your per diem yet? Your pocket money?” Daniels recalls in a spot-on Obi-Wan Kenobi impression. “‘Because they seem to have given me rather a lot, and I think you should have some.’ I was in love with him forever after that. I think genuinely that was my very fondest moment (on ‘Star Wars’).”

In fact, it’s the images of Guinness on the concert’s three-story screen that stir the most emotion in Daniels. “One of the bits I love is Alec Guinness, handing this perfectly silly prop to Mark Hamill and saying, ‘This was your father’s lightsaber.’ It reawakens my affection for Alec every night and I find myself smiling at him,” he says, clearly moved by, well, the Force of the cinematic flashbacks.

“There’s Harrison Ford looking wonderfully rugged. There’s Carrie Fisher in the most awful makeup. There’s Mark with his hair. And I just think ‘Aw, it was sweet, wasn’t it?’ It’s like a family scrapbook up there for me.”