SSE Wembley Arena, December 4, 2019

Henry Selick’s stop-motion classic gets the arena treatment as original artists perform live to screen in a short tour of the British Isles.

This isn’t the first time that the movie’s composer, Danny Elfman (music, songs and lyrics) and fellow singers have performed the movie live, having done so at sold out performances at LA’s Hollywood Bowl in 2015, 2016 and 2018, but this is the first time that the production has left US shores, with performances in Scotland, England and Ireland, under the baton of John Mauceri, founding director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Danny Elfman plays the singing voice of Jack Skellington in the movie, and on stage he is the Pumpkin King. Strutting in his pinstripe suit, grinning and gurning as required, he embodies Jack’s every mannerism from the folding of the arms to the gangly leg lopes. And he’s clearly loving every minute of it, most especially during the encore when he and Mauceri perfume Oogie Boogie Song, Elfman going the full Cab Calloway.

You forget just how much of the show features Jack, which isn’t to say the others don’t get an opportunity to shine. The ensemble of Randy Crenshaw, Angie Jaree, Greg Proops, Fletcher Sheridan and Baraka May voice the supporting roles, revealing a huge range of ghostly and ghastly voices, Sheridan joining Danny and Catherine O’Hara (the original Shock) in Kidnap the Sandy Claws, O’Hara sporting a fantastic witchy hat.

Of course, it’s not Shock that O’Hara is best known for in the movie, she’s also Sally, Jack’s Frankenstein rag doll love interest, and gets her moments both with Sally’s Song solo and the finale reprise with Jack. Another highlight was original Oogie Boogie, the wonderful Ken Page, belting out a baritone Oogie Boogie Song, to the audience’s vocal delight.

An unexpected surprise was violinist Sandy Cameron’s post-interval performance of a medley from the movie. Cameron is a force of nature (and performs Elfman’s violin concerto Eleven Eleven), owning the stage with accompanying accordion, sax and double bass players. She’s a vision in Burton, her outfit a combination of Beetlejuice and Nightmare, her hair a shock of Edward Scissorhands – the playing is of course sublime.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra are very comfortable with the material, delivering a note-perfect rendition under Mauceri, and surely they too could feel the love in the room for this 25th anniversary event. At only 76 minutes long, the movie soon rattled by, lengthened by the overture set to Tim Burton’s images and the already mentioned Oogie Boogie encore.

Verdict: An absolute triumph. What better a way to start your festive season than in the company of such accomplished performers and a beloved film. Danny Elfman steals the show – how thrilled he looked when shouting ‘Hello Wembley!’ – reminding us that the former Oingo Boingo front man is not just a composer, he’s a rock star… and the Pumpkin King! 10/10

Nick Joy