May the music be with you

Looking back on the "Star Wars" saga, Anthony Daniels is the only cast member to appear in all six films.

And while he had a brief "human" cameo in "Attack of the Clones," he has always appeared as C-3PO.

But that won't be the case when "Star Wars in Concert" comes to the EnergySolutions Arena next week.

Daniels said when he narrates the epic "Star Wars in Concert," he stands on stage in regular clothes, not in the protocol droid, alter-ego costume.

"I will be wearing these nasty clothes I bought at Beverly Hills," he said with a laugh during a phone call from Cincinnati. "They are very comfortable and easy to move in and sit in.

"I will look like the smallest action figure, but my face will be 80 feet high," Daniels said.

What he meant was his face will be projected onto an 80-foot-tall LED screen while telling the EnergySolutions Arena audience the story that begins: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away …"

While Daniels is the focal point of the narrative, the concert will feature two hours of music culled from John Williams' award-winning "Star Wars" score.

And it won't just be "A New Hope" or "Empire Strikes Back" that will be represented.

"Star Wars in Concert" will feature music from all six "Star Wars" films — "A New Hope," "Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," "The Phantom Menace," "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith."

In addition, clips from the movies will accompany the music and storytelling. Daniels said the concert is more like an event.

Also, there will be displays of original costumes, scripts and scenery set up throughout the arena.

But Daniels said the real magic happens when the audience steps into the arena.

"With the lasers and effects, it's a whole new way of looking at the 'Star Wars' movies," he said.

Daniels said the producers, in connection with Lucasfilm Ltd., approached him to narrate the concert.

The script, Daniels said, lends itself to his "vocal interpretation and protocol skills."

Furthermore, he definitely has the most recognizable voice of the cast.

"I had done 3PO for so long that Lucas asked me to consider being a part of the concert," he said. "I will appear as myself, but I do think the protocol droid will occasionally peer through during the performances."

Daniels said he was called early in the project, which included the daunting task of rewriting all 12 hours of movies into a two-hour performance.

"The first draft was torturous to read," he said. "It was like they wrote it but never spoke it aloud."

As the rewrites came in, it became easier to say and to memorize, he said. "We're now to the final product, that is if I can stop changing the script."

Daniels said the tour will be on the road for three months, a chunk of his life away from family and friends.