Jaw-dropping visual effects, gripping drama, memorable one-liners and inventive merchandising campaigns are among the reasons the "Star Wars" saga has remained so popular more than 30 years since its debut.

This Sunday celebrates yet another reason: the beloved music of the six movies.

"Star Wars In Concert" showcases John Williams' memorable sound-track -- and in usual "Star Wars" fashion, the show is larger-than-life. Telling the story are an 86-piece orchestra, 100-piece choir, a three-story tall high-definition LED screen and one of the most iconic "Star Wars" actors, Anthony Daniels.

Daniels, who has played C-3PO in all six "Star Wars" films, serves as the show's narrator, a role that he claims to share with his "Star Wars" counterpart. C-3PO speaks the first line of the first film and the last line of the last film (as they were produced, not by episode).

"I did become almost by default, the one person it made sense to have there as the figure ... As with C-3PO, I share an ability of storytelling and a need to organize people, as the head of protocol and etiquette."

Daniels didn't hear Williams' music until well after he had finished filming "A New Hope," the first film to appear, in 1977.

"When I first saw the film, the scenes suddenly came alive for me, and it was at that point I realized why you have music in a film," he says. "I never thought about it, and I don't think many people do think about it. They accept it like the lighting as just being there. In 'Star Wars in Concert,' you realize just how iconic John's music is. It's as much a personality and a character as is Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader."

Belgian conductor Dirk Brosse was hand picked by Williams to tour the "Star Wars in Concert" across the United States and Canada. Brosse, a film composer in his own right, is careful to point out that he is more enamored with the score than the films.

"I'm not a 'Star Wars' film freak," he says. "I don't have the posters in my room. But [Williams] can capture the brain with great, easy-listening themes, while at the same time adding all of those layers that do something to our mood and our heart. This is why I am blown away night after night. The more I conduct it, the more I appreciate, discover, and am moved by the mastership of John."

From Brosse's perspective, the real magic of the "Star Wars" experience lies within Williams' score: "I have seen those fantastic images created by George Lucas without the music, and to be honest, they're beautiful, but they don't speak for themselves. As soon as you add the music, all of a sudden you get this power. John is so strong in creating melodies with very little musical material. With one simple rhythm and a couple of notes, he can create unforgettable themes."

Anthony Daniels emphasizes that the show has the scale of a rock concert with the mind and a soul of classical concert: "You'll see the images and hear the music as you've never experienced them before, but we've got lasers and big effects just in case that isn't enough for you."

For Daniels, this is not his first foray into the "Star Wars" music universe. In 1980, he contributed to the "Star Wars"-themed "Christmas in the Stars," featuring C-3PO singing on traditional classics such as "Sleigh Ride," along with originals like "What Do you Get a Wookie for Christmas? (When He Already Owns a Comb?)," created by Meco Monardo, who also had a #1 Dance hit with a Disco version of the "Star Wars Theme."

"Oh, it's as dreadful now as it was then!" Daniels recalls, "It's one of those things that is beloved by fans because it is so strange -- the word cute comes to mind. It's fun, it's a piece of pure, naked fun. But I still sing 'What do you get a Wookie for Christmas?'"

While Brosse enjoys his role as the conductor, he admits that it isn't an easy job: "The most challenging thing is to reproduce the music by John in the best possible way, and as a conductor to add some little things night after night, all within a very tight timeframe corresponding with very important things happening on the screen like a kiss or a splash or a smile. It is a very, very difficult and challenging thing to conduct the music to the picture because I have no time to watch the big screen."

Unlike most classical concerts in which the conductor applies his own ideas about tempo and dynamics to the score, Brosse uses the original cues Williams wrote for each film. In addition, the concert will feature a new collage of themes Williams put together specifically for the show.

Ultimately, "Star Wars in Concert" not only aims to please "Star Wars" fans, but also possibly to initiate new ones. Says Daniels, "It's a family show. It's for anybody over the age of 4. It's for people who love 'Star Wars' and for people who've never seen 'Star Wars,' and for people who just love live classical music."

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.