Human-Cyborg relations

Anthony Daniels talks about famed 'Star Wars' role as he prepares for concert in North Charleston

When the film "Star Wars" premiered back in 1977, not even the film's director, George Lucas, could have predicted how popular it would become. That film spawned five live-action sequels and countless spinoffs, including animated features, television shows, and even the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special."

There were many reasons for the success of the films; the groundbreaking special effects, the imaginative storyline, but one of the standout stars has always been the musical score composed by John Williams, which subsequently won the conductor his third Academy Award. Now Williams' music is the focus of a new touring production, "Star Wars in Concert," that aims to deliver the magic of "Star Wars" to a new generation of fans as well as those who grew up with the franchise.

The production, which makes a stop tomorrow night at the North Charleston Coliseum, is breathtakingly big. None other than Anthony Daniels, the actor who portrayed the droid C-3PO in all six "Star Wars" films, narrates the whole thing.

I had the chance to speak to Daniels last week by phone and he was more than happy to talk about "Star Wars in Concert." Being the Star Wars geeks I am, I even managed to squeeze in a couple of questions about the man in the gold suit himself.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, he does indeed sound a lot like C-3PO when he talks, just a lot more mellow.

Q: Where are you now?

A: "In Jacksonville, then in the next couple of days Fort Lauderdale, and then Tampa, and then we start heading north. I am spending my life on a tour bus and airplanes and things like that."

Q: So do you feel like a rock star?

A: "Exactly like a rock star, but without the ability to sing (laughs). The only thing that is constant to me is the joy of working with the orchestra, because the joy of working with the audience is different every night."

Q: How has the audience reaction been so far?

A: "I don't know until I walk out onstage what kind of reception I'm going to get, but we've had a standing ovation every night so far, and I know you won't let me down in Charleston. It's been enormous fun, and it keeps on being fun for me. Every night the orchestra plays their hearts out, and (the musicians) come off the stage beaming with pleasure from the experience. The musicians were saying last night that it is very unusual for them to play in a concert where there is such a reaction from the audience. At most (orchestral) concerts people sit very quietly, and they sit quietly for this show, but at the end the enthusiasm is huge."

Q: What should folks know about the show?

A: "If you're coming, come early so you can see the exhibition or Star Wars memorabilia, where you can see (C-3PO's) gold suit for instance, which will explain why I'm not wearing it in the show. I'm dressed in black. I go as the dark side for the evening. I don't think anyone has toured such a large orchestra before, or such a large movie screen. The elements of the show are huge. There's a one-hundred foot wide, three-story tall LED screen, huge black LED curtains, an 86-piece orchestra, a 100-piece choir, a huge set, a full laser and lighting rig, a huge sound rig, and a conductor conducting live. This is a live show. There is not a single piece of recorded music. I tell the simple story of Star Wars, along with footage from all six films woven to fit John Williams' music, which has been rescored to fit the footage. If you have never seen Star Wars, you will come away knowing everything you need to know about the story. You'll also come away with a love for the music. For many people, this will be the first time seeing an orchestra, and I would hope that it wouldn't be the last."

Q: How did you come to be involved with the tour? Obviously you have a tie-in, having been in all six films.

A: "I have been with the films for 33 years of my life. Also I share with C-3PO, as the only person to actually work on all six films, to work with a character who is a maitre' d, a butler, a major domo, it's just a good fit.

Q: You have worn the costume or at least provided the voice of C-3PO in a long list of "Star Wars"-related productions. Besides the films there were appearances on The Muppet Show, Donny and Marie, a radio serial, the Holiday Special, a holiday album, toy commercials, and even Sesame Street. Has there ever been a performance of the character C-3PO that featured someone else's voice or someone else in the suit?

A: (a pause while he thinks) No, I don't believe so. It would be difficult to do that. I think early on they tried it with some toys, but it didn't work. It's a curiously strange voice, and I still to this day don't know how I came up with it.

Q: There is a scene in "Episode II: Attack of the Clones," where you play a nightclub patron. What was it like to finally have your face onscreen instead of being hidden behind the C-3PO mask?

A: "It was funny. It was hard work being an extra, a little tedious, but I asked and George (Lucas) said "sure," so that was fun. What a lot of people don't know is that in the first film I have a cameo as a white robot named CZ3 who is walking down the street in Mos Eisley when Luke and Obi Wan have just sold the landspeeder. That's my other claim to fame, but not a lot of people know that.

Q: Prior to Star Wars you were not a big sci-fi fan. You once walked out of a screening of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and demanded your money back. Have you warmed to the genre since?

A: Well, I wasn't alone in that. A lot of people did that. Actually, in the last year I have seen "2001" twice, and enjoyed it very, very much. I was just too young at the time to enjoy it. I've grown up.

If you go

What: Star Wars: In Concert.

When: Friday 8 p.m.

Where: North Charleston Coliseum, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston.

How Much: $75, $55 and $35.

Where to get tickets: www.coliseumpac.com, the Coliseum Ticket Office, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

More info: www.starwarsinconcert.com.