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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009
'Star Wars’ score to get stadium-size treatment
The music and mastery of Star Wars to fill up Cowboys Stadium, with a little help from C-3P0
By PUNCH SHAW
Special to dfw.com
Anthony Daniels walked out of 2001: A Space Odyssey and demanded his money back.
That was not an isolated incident. A lot of moviegoers were confused by Stanley Kubrick’s space opera when its monkeys and spaceships first graced movie screens in 1968.
Yet, that is hardly the reaction one would expect from Daniels, who would later become a key player in the Star Wars saga by giving a personality to a robot named C-3PO — a journey Daniels will continue Friday night when he serves as narrator for Star Wars: In Concert at Cowboys Stadium.
"But I watched 2001 on an airplane the other day, and I loved it," says Daniels, as he was being chauffeured to D/FW Airport to catch yet another flight. "I’ve grown up."
While Daniels may have matured, the fans of George Lucas’ six-part sci-fi epic have steadfastly refused to grow up when it comes to these iconic films. You can expect to see plenty of patrons in their Jedi and Princess Leia outfits at this show, which will deliver John Williams’ scores with an orchestra and chorus supported by film clips and lasers, lighting up the Arlington venue that, fittingly, looks so much like a UFO.
"I’m a part of so many people’s childhoods that they feel a kind of affection — which is lovely," says Daniels, when asked about his about his close encounters with Star Wars fans.
"It’s been a long haul. There have been times when I thought I would kind of move away from it," says the 63-year-old British actor, whose bio includes the tongue-in-cheek line "the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special is rarely mentioned."
"But I think, fortunately, the voice of reason came over me. Now I absolutely happily embrace the fact that I have been involved all these years."
On Friday, Daniels (without the gold suit) will be involved in a show that promises to dazzle the eye and ear. The former fussy android will weave the Star Wars story among themed blocks of film clips and laser-light displays. And, unlike some previous, nonsports events at Cowboys Stadium, this one will use the facility’s enormous video screen.
"Dallas is going to experience something beyond anything any other audience does on this world tour," says Daniels, acknowledging the size and features of this stop’s venue. "They will see [Star Wars] in a completely different light and come away respecting the artistry of the music as never before."
In addition to the concert, fans will also be able to visit a sort of Star Wars museum traveling with the tour that includes displays of costumes and props and pages from one of Williams’ original, handwritten scores.
And while Daniels, who continues his Star Wars life by lending his voice to the animated Clone Wars series, wants fans to enjoy this concert, he also hopes that it will encourage them to travel to a galaxy far, far away from their usual music listening.
"I hope this will encourage them to hear a different type of classical concert," says Daniels, whose voice changes a bit when he speaks of sitting in on Williams’ scoring sessions for Star Wars. "We should guard these players. We mustn’t lose them."
So while Daniels speaks glowingly of the "Star Wars" franchise and its fans, he is not blind to the strangeness that goes with his job. Just ask him if he can relate to the 1999 sci-fi comedy spoof Galaxy Quest.
"I loved it," he says with a gentle laugh. "I have lived a lot of those moments. I couldn’t believe that I was watching my life on the screen."
For a robot, he has a pretty good sense of humor.
Star Wars: In Concert
7:30 p.m. Friday
7:30 p.m. Friday
Cowboys Stadium
Arlington
$35-$75
800-745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com
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