Rare Concert: Danny Elfman Performs the Movies of Tim Burton

The composer will sing the role of Jack Skellington on Halloween night.

The whimsical and cultural benefits of living in Los Angeles are plentiful, but they truly seem to shine around the holidays, when rare and unusual performances pop up to sing in Christmas or the new year or even Halloween.

The spookiest night of the year will be both the theme and the date for an oh-so-rare concert: Danny Elfman will perform the Music of Tim Burton's films at the Nokia Theatre at LA Live on Thursday, Oct. 31.

This is notable for a few reasons. One? The composer and former lead for California's ska-rock house band Oingo Boingo rarely performs nowadays. How rarely? This will be "Elfman's first live U.S. performance in eighteen years" says a rep.

Yeah, that's rare. And, coincidentally enough, Mr. Elfman's last LA on-stager was also on Halloween night, at Universal, with Oingo Boingo. The year: 1995.

Also making the Nokia show frightening and fun: While much of the music is strictly symphonic, the composing wizard will sing his Jack Skellington songs. That's the role Mr. Elfman famously sang for in "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" back in 1993. "Newly created suites" from the composer-director partnership will be performed as well. (That's fifteen films in all, but you likely know that.)

The Hollywood Studio Symphony and Page LA Choir will join the composer on stage.

And, yes, of course: "Beetlejuice," "Batman," and "Edward Scissorhands" will also be on the roster. And bet that Burton and Elfman fans'll travel in for this one from points both near and far. As faraway as Halloween Town or Sleepy Hollow, even.

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A tour is in the works, though no other details are available.

Tickets for the Halloween show go on sale on the oh-so-pumpkin-perfect date of Friday, Sept. 13. They're $45 (and up) each. The on-sale time is 10 a.m.

Oh, and one more fun thing? This concert debuts at London's Royal Albert Concert Hall on Oct. 7. But no surprise here: That show is fully sold out.

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