A Controversial Rocker Is Joining A Nightmare Before Christmas
Indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers is joining a rare live performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas, performing the role of Sally alongside Danny Elfman.
Grammy-nominated indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers has joined the upcoming The Nightmare Before Christmas live concerts scheduled for this December in London, England. Bridgers will perform the role of Sally for the live concert, which showcases the music from the classic Disney film, according to a report by The AV Club. She will join Jack Skellington himself, Oscar nominee Danny Elfman, as the former Oingo Boingo frontman and current film composer makes a rare live performance of the film’s songs.
The concerts will be held at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on December 9 and 10, and Phoebe Bridgers and Danny Elfman will be joined by The Nightmare Before Christmas alums Ken Page (the voice of Oogie Boogie), Randy Crenshaw (the voice of Mr. Hyde) and Greg Proops (who provided multiple voices including The Devil). The event will feature the film presented on a large screen, with the performers singing the songs live, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri, will accompany the performers. The concert takes place just ahead of next year’s 30th anniversary of the film’s release.
Phoebe Bridgers has seen her music career skyrocket since the release of her 2017 solo album Stranger in the Alps and collaborations with artists including Marcus Mumford. She has earned four Grammy nominations, and her performance in The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert is the latest crossover for the singer, which includes a role in Between Two Ferns: The Movie in 2019, an episode of the Showtime series ZIWE in 2021, and an upcoming role in I Saw The TV Glow, an A24 feature from director Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair). She is a frequent contributor of music to TV, including Hulu’s Conversations With Friends, Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, and Fox’s short-lived series adaptation of Lethal Weapon.
A similar live performance was staged in Los Angeles last year and broadcast in a livestream, with Billie Eilish performing the role of Sally and Elfman once again voicing Jack. Phoebe Bridgers has a similar ethereal voice, perfect for the role of Sally (performed by Catherine O’Hara in the original film), even though she is actually younger than the movie itself, having been born in August of 1994, nearly a year after The Nightmare Before Christmas premiered in theaters, where it was a modest hit. Re-releases allowed it to earn over $91 million worldwide and go on to become a holiday classic, despite the gothic setting, and rumors have persisted that a sequel may be coming.
In addition to The Nightmare Before Christmas score, Danny Elfman has written music for Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), The Simpsons, Men in Black, and many other hits.
Phoebe Bridger made headlines recently when she came to the defense of Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, who alleged abuse at the hands of her former boyfriend Marilyn Manson. She was also widely criticized when, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, she called the late monarch a “war criminal” in an Instagram post.
For those unable to make the trip to England to catch the live concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas is now available to stream on the Disney+ service.
