As a person who grew up in Southern California in the '80s and '90s, I was always aware of Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo, particularly of the band's annual Halloween shows, even though I was too young to attend. Despite that awareness, I identify Danny Elfman more as a composer than a rock star, mostly thanks to his nearly 30-year collaboration with Tim Burton.
Last week, I finally got to spend Halloween with Danny Elfman as an overjoyed audience member at "Danny Elfman's Music From the Films of Tim Burton," a concert featuring suites from 15 Burton/Elfman films performed by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and The Page LA Choir, and conducted by John Mauceri. It was magical and moving and, most definitely, an event I'll remember for the rest of my life.
During the show, the scores were matched with video projections of Tim Burton's scene and character sketches, many I'd seen at LACMA's exhibition three years ago, and movie clips. When Danny Elfman took to the stage to perform as Jack Skellington during "The Nightmare Before Christmas" set, he performed "What's This?" alongside the scene from the movie, so he was Jack in the flesh and on the screen at the same time.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" set was what pushed me to buy my ticket, not just because it represented Danny Elfman's first live performance in 18 years, but because of the special place that movie and its characters now have in my life. I'm lucky to be the aunt to amazing kids who, though still young, have pretty cool taste, including a fondness for Tim Burton movies. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was an early favorite and now no holiday season is complete without a visit to "Sally's House," the Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction at Disneyland. Our house has a Tim Burton-themed room for the kids that's decorated with scenes from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride," another family favorite. (My niece dressed as "Corpse Bride" for Halloween three years ago, no doubt the only kid at her preschool to do so.)
The universe that Tim Burton has created with all of his films has always intrigued me, so strange, so cool, so unique. Now, watching the movies with the kids, I'm finding the inspiration in these movies that thousands (maybe even millions) of "strange and unusual" people the world over have always found in Tim Burton's world, that spark telling you it's OK to be different, it's OK to take chances, it's OK to be an artist, it's OK to make believe.
What fantastic messages to share with anyone, particularly kids.
The times I've watched the movies with the kids, the times my niece has acted out scenes from "Corpse Bride," the times we've ridden Haunted Mansion Holiday, our family trip to the LACMA exhibit and my niece's wide eyes when she saw the "Corpse Bride" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" "sculpts" (her word for the puppets used in both films)—all of those moments were swirling through my head as I listened to the music and watched the film clips on Halloween night, as Danny Elfman prowled the stage as Jack Skellington, as the musicians did their solos, as Conductor John Mauceri played Santa, as Catherine O'Hara appeared to sing "Sally's Lament," as Tim Burton briefly took the stage, as the audience gave ovation after ovation.
As I've written before, I believe in the power of pop culture because I know that movies, songs, TV shows, books and plays are more than just an artistic exercise or entertaining consumable, they're companions and inspirations, comforting you or pushing you along. With an audience decked out in Sally, Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Lydia costumes, I knew I wasn't the only one to feel that way. We were all there on Halloween to show our gratitude for those movies, those characters, the music that amplified everything they did, and the men who've made it all possible.
The set list:
Act 1
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
"Pee-Wee's Big Adventure"
"Beetlejuice"
"Sleepy Hollow"
"Mars Attacks"
"Big Fish"
"Batman"/"Batman Returns"
Act 2
"Planet of the Apes"
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"
"Dark Shadows"
"Frankenweenie"
"Edward Scissorhands"
"Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas"
"Alice in Wonderland"
To get a taste of what I saw on Halloween, here's Danny Elfman singing "What's This?" in London a few weeks ago.
