Tim Burton and Danny Elfman - Live from Lincoln Center - Directed by Andrew Carl Wilk

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Do you know there are few things in this world that could take my attention away from the third game of the World Series, since the Mets were trailing the Kansas City Royals 0-2 in games.

Something just called me away from that sports channel in the strangest of ways.  

Now I sit here the night before Halloween with my globes glued to the telly watching my old friend Andrew Carl Wilk, directing Live from Lincoln Center.

Try as I might, I could not get myself to go back to the game.

The subject of the broadcast was Tim Burton and Danny Elfman, the soundtrack composer for most of Burton's greatest, and or more bizarre, movies.

It was a brilliant mosaic, from a variety of perspectives weaving the story behind the music behind the movie from the quite unusual mind of Tim Burton.

Few people could direct such a demanding show where movie clips cut to a live orchestra and chorus, with a never-ending barrage of interchanging elements.

Anyway, you get the idea.

This was a bona fide horror classic, which could overtake the legendary cult classic the Rocky Horror Picture Show, as an institutional must see for the institutionalized.

 

At least the dress code for the two productions seems similar.  Maybe next year the crazy crowd can come up and sing in front of the giant screen.

As usual, Andrew Carl Wilk, the Wizard of Lincoln Center, cast a magical spell over the viewers with his clever cuts and directing hijinks.

The show was a dazzling string of highlights.

The sequence with the violin soloist in leather was a particularly enchanting segment, probably my favorite part of the show.

When Danny Elfman began singing live, one forgets he used to be in a band, the challenge to Andrew of synchronizing the live singer, orchestra, and choir with the animated clip from the movie was daunting.

Yet somehow, Wilk, the superstar from the Summit, New Jersey that is, was able to give the song "What's this?" a seamless presentation.

As for rating the performance, they simply do not have enough stars to adequately rate this production.

Andrew and wife Heather

It is off the charts.

Therefore, Andrew, you ruined my lifelong record of watching the World Series without interruption, especially with such great teams involved.

When your Wizard's spell forced me to switch from the game, with the Mets trailing by one run, to PBS of all places, I was shocked.

Two hours later when you finally released me from the spell and I turned the game back on, the Mets were leading by six runs.

It seems to me if I had a bunch of your Live at Lincoln Center DVDs, and the Mets were losing a game, I could throw your show on and help the Mets win the World Series.

Bravo Andrew, and buy a bigger trophy cabinet, I sense yet another Emmy and your cabinet long ago ran out of room.

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