Weill's "3 Penny" score inspired Elfman's "Nightmare..."?

I'm late to this party at 54 by the board standards, but rather than get into the stagings issue ... I was dumbstruck for the first time in years by how brilliant Danny Elfman incorporated Weill-like stylings into the wonderful Weill-like songs in "The Nightmare Before Christmas," a favorite of mine.

Seeing Ms. McKay's Polly, I could only see and hear the rag doll Sally. And "Sally's Song" is so redolent of Polly's "No Song" in THREE PENNY. And "Jealousy Duet" even figures into "Kidnap the Santy Clause."

Random thoughts? Perhaps.

But no matter what one feels at this THREE PENNY, it's hard not to sit thru it these days and see the material's stamp on myriad projects, from "Nightmare" to SWEENEY, to mainstream commercial pieces like CHARITY. (CABARET and SPIDER WOMAN need not even be mentioned..) From the musical motifs, the orchestrations, to the obvious Brechtian alienating effects.

The disappointment in this production has taken some people by surprise, but whatever its merits -- to me, the way the genius score is put across by most of the performers is big one -- maybe it's inevitable. I think it's ever harder to make this once startling material fresh because its strengths (and some weaknesses) have been so borrowed and recycled. And hammering home the message(s) with a cast on the apron, white lights in our eyes is now a hoary post-Foreman cliche all its own that I hope never to see again.

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Updated On: 4/23/06 at 08:30 PM

I respect your history with the material, but you honestly don't hear any Weill influence in Elfman's score? (and orchestrations) Really? I welcome the chance to debate this with any others who want to weigh in. My point here is not to detract from Elfman's achievement in NIGHTMARE. It's a remarkable score independent of influence. But the influences seem there, particularly in Sally's material, and Jack's first song.

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