Melbourne's Palais Theatre Is Screening Star Wars Complete with a Live Orchestra

Forty years ago, a filmmaker wanted to journey to a galaxy far, far away, and he needed a republic cruiser's worth of epic tunes to go with it. Enter John Williams and the theme everyone now knows. When the first notes of Star Wars: Episode VI — A New Hope's score started playing over the film's opening crawl, movie and music history was made.

Neither Williams nor George Lucas could've known just what they'd unleashed, nor that Luke and Leia, Han and Chewie, and the next generation of wannabe jedis and empire lackeys would still be gracing cinema screens decades later. To celebrate not only the space opera saga's longevity, but the upcoming release of Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi in December, St Kilda's Palais Theatre is hosting the Star Wars event to end all Star Wars events: Star Wars: The Force Awakens in concert.

We've got a good feeling about what promises to be a force-filled evening of sound and vision, with the last film in the franchise screened in all its Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver-starring glory, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra picking up their instruments to perform the corresponding score. Conducted by Nicholas Buc, who'll be living out one of his dreams, they'll play Williams' Oscar-nominated music from the saga's seventh flick live across three concerts on December 8, 9 and 10.

Following in the footsteps of the similar Harry Potter shows enchanting audiences this year, also featuring a score by Williams, this is not a trap — but BYO lightsaber, droid and wookie. And if you're a Sydney jedi master or Brisbane rebel who can't make it south, try taking Yoda's advice and trusting the force. The Melbourne gigs have been badged as the series' Australian premiere, so this mightn't be your only hope. Fingers crossed the show will jump on the Millennium Falcon and tour the rest of the country.

Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens will screen at the Palais Theatre on December 8, 9 and 10, 2017. Grab tickets here.