STAR WARS: IN CONCERT
By Jeff Royer and David Onda

photos: press photos

SCI-FI SOUNDS
Star Wars: In Concert brings a Bigger, Louder Version of the Space Saga to a Galaxy Near You

Over three decades and six films, the Star Wars saga has introduced plenty of iconic characters into popular culture, from Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker to Chewbacca. And Yoda – forget him we can’t.

But every bit as timeless as those characters is the accompanying musical score, John Williams’ brilliant, indelible masterpiece, named by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time.

Now, more than three decades since audiences first thrilled to Darth Vader’s ominous “Imperial March,” the music of Star Wars takes the spotlight as the centerpiece of Star Wars: In Concert, a massive multi-media event hyper-driving its way into Hershey’s Giant Center on July 20. With the help of an 86-piece orchestra, a 60-piece choir, live narration by Anthony Daniels (who played C-3PO in all six episodes) and super-high-definition Star Wars footage broadcast on a three-story LED screen, Williams’ lush musical themes are finally delivered in full … er … force.

The two-hour concert event is essentially a retelling of the Star Wars saga in 16 chapters, each featuring a musical theme meticulously synched with newly edited film stock from Lucasfilms. Each chapter is introduced with a monologue from Daniels, who ties together the storyline as the saga progresses linearly from Anakin Skywalker’s childhood adventures to Luke’s final confrontation with Vader. The production is visually stunning, dynamic and, as producer Spencer Churchill assures, faithful and respectful to the Star Wars brand.

“There are no dancing Wookies,” he assures with a laugh.

Complementing the onstage spectacle is an exhibit of props and artifacts that spans the Star Wars saga’s six films, ranging from iconic costumes for Chewbacca, Darth Vader and C-3PO to several pieces that have never before left the Skywalker Ranch. Items of note include Han Solo’s carbonite tomb from The Empire Strikes Back (which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year), never-before-seen blasters and helmets from scenes on Coruscant and Tatooine and pages from Williams’ original hand-written sheet music for The Phantom Menace.

“There’s one [exhibit] that I go see every night, and that’s Queen Amidala and her handmaidens,” says Churchill. “And I do go out there at least twice every evening that I’m on the road to look at the exhibit. The costumes are fantastic looking.”

When the show is traveling, Churchill’s life is a full one. He and his crew of 70 spend 17 hours a day five days a week setting up 14 trucks’ worth of gear. That’s a lot of aching backs before the soundcheck even begins. Then comes the two-hour show itself, during which a multitude of problems could arise. The biggest task is keeping the film footage displayed on the 60-by-30-foot LED screen – one of the largest ever put on tour – in perfect time with the live orchestra and choir. For that job alone, Churchill has a team of workers who do nothing but sit backstage and watch video, which is then fed on a time delay to the LED. Needless to say, the production is as action-packed behind the scenes as it is onstage. But according to Churchill, it’s well worth a few gray hairs to bring to life thi
s new interpretation of what has become a genuine cultural phenomenon.
“When somebody like Lucasfilm comes to you and says they’d like to do this, your mind reels with all of the possibilities,” says Churchill, whose company, Another Planet, launched Star Wars: In Concert in 2009. “I stood in line to see [Star Wars] in 1977 in Atlanta when it opened. My girlfriend dragged me to it, and I loved it. The story behind it I think is so simple and beautiful that really what I cared about was how well we told that story in our live presentation. George Lucas got to tell that story in the way that he wanted to see it told, and we were lucky enough for Lucasfilm to allow us to tell it in this sort of big, bombastic live setting that we create four or five days a week.”

Part of the challenge of orchestrating Star Wars: In Concert, Churchill says, was creating a show that would be a true spectacle, that would draw in casual Star Wars fans, fans of classical music, fans of theatrical productions, but would still satisfy hardcore Star Wars devotees. To appease the latter, Churchill brought in experts from Lucasfilm to pore over every detail – right down to the color of the lightsaber a character holds in a promotional poster – to ensure that the show was inerrant.

“That’s for a small part of our audience, but it’s the part of our audience that keeps us honest, the hardcore fan base,” Churchill relates. “But our audience is huge. This is not just a ‘Star Wars freak’ kind of show. The brand is ubiquitous, and the music is iconic. Casual fans, even the people that don’t necessarily consider themselves fans, per se – everybody seems to find something to like about this.” –Jeff Royer

Anthony Daniels Q&A

As the glistening, gold protocol droid C-3PO, actor Anthony Daniels has lived and breathed the world of Star Wars for 33 years. He is the only actor to have appeared in all six of the franchise’s episodes and has the distinction of speaking the saga’s first and last lines.

Today, Daniels is vocalizing the entire saga as live narrator of Star Wars: In Concert and, for the first time, getting some true face time with his fans. Fly Magazine caught up with him for an enlightening conversation about the show, cereal, gambling, Queen, clean socks, Beanie Babies, nosy kids and Ewok sex.  –David Onda

Fly Magazine: It’s surprising to me that after all these years you still want to talk about Star Wars.
Anthony Daniels: There have been times that I haven’t over the years. It’s more than half of my life so far. But particularly because of this concert, which we started a year ago, I have grown – not to be a fan, that’s going too far – but I have grown to appreciate the strength of the story and the dedication that George Lucas and others put into it. Because of the concert, because I am faced visibly and audibly with thousands of people who are thrilled, who adore it every night, who respond to elements within the story and my storytelling with such joy an enthusiastic energy, I finally have understood that it’s an enormous force within our culture.

FM:As someone who spent six films under a mask, is there something particularly fulfilling to you now that fans get to see your face and associate you with this epic story?
AD:I haven’t thought to put it in those words, but now that you say it – yes, frankly. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it in that way. Yes, I do feel almost like a punctuation mark has been added at the end of a sentence. A balance has arrived here. Yes, it’s a fulfilling little moment in my career as I get older. And with my face large across this enormous LED screen, it’s almost like an over-exaggeration to make up for walking out all these years as: [in C-3PO voice] C-3PO, human-cyborg relations.

FM: What do you think this show adds to the legacy of Star Wars?
AD: It adds a clarity and different perspective to the extent – and you’ll have to believe me – but I never really understood the story of Star Wars and all the fuss about it. I don’t mind admitting it. Because of the clarity of the way I tell [the story] – from the beginning of the little boy, Anakin, following his destiny to become a fallen hero, to the destiny of his son rising up to be a true hero and confront his father on his epic journey – the story has become clear to me.

FM:There aren’t many 64-year-olds who would say, “Hey, I’ve been doing this one thing for 33 years, but I’d like to go on the road for a year, talk about it every day and relive it 100 times over.”
AD:I think I’ve done 104 performances – fortunately, not in a row. It’s become something of a way of life. You know, making sure your socks are dry before you leave the hotel room. Keeping clean on the road is pretty much full-time. People say, “How do you keep your feet on the ground with the all the adulation every night?” Well, it’s mostly because I’m washing my socks in some smart hotel bedroom.

FM:Star Wars has had so many spin-offs, from television to books to radio …
AD:And I’ve been there pretty much for all of them. I just found my gambling machine in Las Vegas, put a dollar in. I did a lot of the voice work for that. Sadly, I lost the dollar, so I should be calling George Lucas to see if I can get it back.

FM: You can see a lot of Star Wars props at the show, including one of your 3PO suits. Do you have a favorite piece of Star Wars memorabilia or merchandise that you personally own?
AD:I have one or two souvenirs from the set, that’s for sure. I think my favorite piece of merchandise is actually the C-3PO Beanie Baby thing. It’s this ridiculous sort of squishy caricature. It’s just so cute. It’s a charming little homage. But, you know, there is nothing in my home that you would recognize from Star Wars. It’s not my way of life.

FM:Have you ever actually sat down to breakfast and poured yourself a bowl of C-3PO’s Cereal?
AD:I try and eat healthy. I do, however, have not only the art box – the beautiful specially printed art box that they used in the commercials – but I do actually have a box of C-3PO’s unopened. And I tell you, if I ever do [open it], two things will happen. First of all, they will be as fresh as they were 20 years ago when we made them. But also, I think their power to nuke the planet … [laughs]. I have a sweet tooth, but they were a little sweet, even for me. But how many people do you know who have been a breakfast cereal?

FM:Um, none.
AD:Probably the craziest thing I ever did is when we launched [the cereal] in Tampa, Florida. There was an 8-to-10-foot box of breakfast cereal in the middle of the stage that revolved amongst fireworks and lasers and I stepped out of the back. For a serious actor, this was pretty strange.

FM:You obviously talk about these films a lot. Which Star Wars question do you get asked the most?
AD:If it’s hot in the costume. A little kid, years ago, asked me a question and I looked down at him and I said, “If only someone would ask me a question I hadn’t been asked before.” And he looked at me and said, “What would that be?” I’m like, “You little shit.”

FM:Amazing. This has been a lot of fun, Anthony.
AD:It’s a real pleasure. I can tell that you’re quite fond of Star Wars in a nice, normal way. How old are you?

FM:I’m 26.
AD:So you don’t even remember it the first time around!

FM:No. I was conceived around the time Return of the Jedi came out.
AD:I had nothing to do with the Ewok mating scene. It’s interesting – I was conceived as part of the celebrations of the end of World War II. That is purely one of the differences between us.

FM:I once interviewed Dave Prowse [the body of Darth Vader] and he called the Ewoks “terrible things,” which I thought was funny because they’re so cute!