On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by John Mauceri, performed notorious “Halloween Jew” Danny Elfman's music for Tim Burton's “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” live at the Hollywood Bowl in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans. The program began with an extended version of the overture (which, while on the soundtrack album, never appeared in the film). Then singers began to file onstage, and the film began.
For the next two hours, the orchestra and singers perfectly synced to the film. If the performances had matched the original soundtrack, that would have been sufficient to make for a great concert. But, as it turned out, the performances far exceeded the original.
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra was, as usual, perfect. An especially expressive principal oboe gave the most tender moments a strength of emotion far beyond the original recording. The French horn section also deserves extra mention for playing with a strength and enthusiasm that kept the music fresh. The addition of saxophones and accordions to the orchestra for this score kept the quirky energy flowing.
After the opening chorus of “This Is Halloween,” the music's composer, lyricist and former Oingo Boingo front-man Danny Elfman took the stage to sing the part of “Jack Skellington.” For the first time in exactly 20 years, Elfman was onstage singing for a huge crowd, and in that moment something seemed to awaken in him. Midway through his first number, “Jack's Lament” Elfman took his microphone from its stand and began to perform like a rock star. It was like seeing him in his Oingo Boingo days as he worked the stage, all the while perfectly in sync with the onscreen images of Jack Skellington.
Other original cast members joined the stage: Catherine O'Hara was there to sing Sally's parts. After a brief intermission, Ken Page took the stage to sing the part of Oogie Boogie, his rendition of “Oogie Boogie's Song” exuding a jolly, bluesy menace that stopped the show as the audience erupted into a standing ovation.
Flawless, yet very personal performances flowed from one to the next until the end credits of the film. At that point, many audience members forgot they were in a concert and began filing out of the Hollywood Bowl while the orchestra was still playing.
The end credits finished with curtain calls for all the performers. The orchestra rose to take their bow, and Elfman took the microphone to announce the encores, which included reprises of O'Hara, Elfman and Paul Reubens’ “Kidnap the Sandy Claws,” and Elfman's own version of the Oogie Boogie Song (complete with his version of Cab Calloway's famous dance from his rotoscoped appearance in a “Betty Boop” cartoon), with Mauceri performing the part of Sandy Claws.
For a final encore, African and Indian percussionists were brought onstage, and Elfman reappeared carrying a guitar. He introduced his orchestrator, Steve Bartek, who has worked with him on more than 100 films and who was also the guitarist and arranger for Oingo Boingo. And for the first time in exactly 20 years, they strapped on guitars and performed “Dead Man's Party.”
In the tradition of “Halloween Jews” stretching back to Carl Laemmle and Boris Karloff, Danny Elfman's music delivered a night of secular thrills that exceeded audience expectations, and mash-mixed two of the greatest targets of rabbinical ire, Halloween and Christmas. But, then again, if you can't fly in the face of religion on Halloween, when can you?
