Danny Elfman brings ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ to life at Hollywood Bowl

LOS ANGELES — It’s the time of the season when the Hollywood Bowl becomes the Halloween Town Bowl. And Danny Elfman fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yes, the famed film composer and new wave icon and a number of his talented pals were once again back at Los Angeles’ most legendary concert venue to bring beloved 1993 animated film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to life on stage.

The weekend stand – with shows on Saturday and Sunday – marked the 10th anniversary since the first “Disney Tim Burton‘s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert” gigs were held at the Hollywood Bowl in 2015.

The Sunday show also happened to be the 13th performance of “Nightmare” at the Bowl – giving it a little extra spooky edge for the Halloween season.

It was clear from the very start of the show why this has become such a popular tradition for Angelenos and others. Some had traveled from out of the area – and, in some cases, from out of state – to see these shows.

The performance is an absolute blast for “Nightmare Before Christmas” fans, who get to experience the classic dark fantasy in a way that they won’t find anywhere else.

The film itself is shown on the overhead screens in the amphitheater, but the instrumental score is provided live by the full Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under the direction of conductor John Mauceri.

Then add to the mix the live vocals, the lion’s share of which are handled by Danny Elfman in the role of Jack Skellington, the film’s central character. Elfman, who originated the part and continues to inhabit it in ways that make it hard to imagine anyone else ever playing it, was joined in the live vocal department by Janelle Monáe as Sally, Keith David as Oogie Boogie, John Stamos as Lock and Riki Lindhome as Shock.

Adding much to the vocal mix were Randy Crenshaw, Angie Jaree, Greg Proops, Fletcher Sheridan and Baraka May, who handled a variety of smaller vocal parts. They would come into play early on in the production, blending voices and vibes – as they portrayed the citizens of Halloween Town – to conjure up the right amount of chaos for a dizzying take on “This Is Halloween.”

Elfman drew a huge reaction from the audience when he made his first entrance to the stage and confidentally crooned his way through the Skellington stand-out “Jack’s Lament.”

One might suspect such a production to feel a bit herky-jerky, what with all the different players making their entrances/exits and the sound constantly flipping between the film’s original dialogue and the live vocals. Yet, the whole thing actually came off pretty seamlessly.

Elfman was the only one of the main characters reprising his role from the film. The other original voices – such as Ken Page (who played Oogie Boogie and died in 2024) and Paul Reubens (who played Lock and died in 2023) – were definitely missed. But the stars filling their shoes – David and Stamos, respectively – still did fine jobs.

Of course, it was great to see Monáe, who was dressed up to look the part of Sally. Yet, Sally – who was originally played by Catherine O’Hara – doesn’t do much singing in the film. So, the end result – fair or not – was that Monáe felt sadly underused in the production.

Besides being a treat for the ears, “Nightmare” was also quite a visual delight. In particular, Richard Kraft did a marvelous job directing the projections, which ran along the front lip of the Bowl’s thick bandshell and always underscored the action happening in the movie.

Following the conclusion of the film, Elfman – quite unexpectedly – would perform his own jazzy, New Orleans-flavored take on “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” of which David had just sung his own version a few songs earlier.

Then Elfman would change out of his self-described “zoot suit” and get into regular rocker gear, joining his live band – complete with original Oingo Boingo axeman Steve Bartek – for an Oingo Boingo double-shot of “Dead Man’s Party” and “No One Lives Forever” to end the musical portion of the show.

Yet, Elfman would stick around just a bit longer so that he could tell the audience how grateful he is to have now performed “Nightmare” 13 times at the Hollywood Bowl.

“In my wildest imagination I never thought it could be possible,” he said. “Thank you.”

About The Author

Jim Harrington

Jim Harrington has written about music in the Bay Area and beyond for more than two decades with the San Jose Mercury News and Oakland Tribune.

Jim Harrington has written about music in the Bay Area and beyond for more than two decades with the San Jose Mercury News and Oakland Tribune.