Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas was 70

Ken Page, the Broadway veteran who provided the voice of the hideous villain Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton-produced play The nightmare before ChristmasHe died Monday at his home in St. Louis, his representatives said. He was 70.

In his Broadway debut, Page filled in as a replacement for the role of Lion in the original 1975-79 production The magician.

The baritone also took on the role of Old Deuteronomy in the original production of 1982 Cats; starred in the original Broadway production of Fats Waller's from 1978-82 It's not bad behavior; and played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1976-77 all-black revival Boys and dollsa turn that won him a Theater World Award.

Page was unforgettable as Oogie Boogie, the bug-filled boogeyman The nightmare before Christmas (1993), directed by Henry Selick.

In a 2022 interview, he said producers were looking for “someone reminiscent of Cab Calloway or Fats Waller.” He added that he saw the character as “somewhere between the voice of the demon.” The Exorcist and the cowardly lion inside The Wizard of Oz.”

He later voiced Oogie Boogie in video games and at Disney theme parks.

Kenneth Page was born on January 20, 1954 in St. Louis, where he attended Bishop DuBourg High School. He then studied theater at Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri.

He played Joe “Cheesecake” Tyson on the 1987-88 ABC series sable.

The films were also on his CV Torch Song Trilogy (1988), All dogs go to heaven (1989) – as the voice of King Gator – I will do anything (1994) and dream girl (2006) and guest appearances on shows like Charmed And Touched by an angel.

More recently, Page developed and starred in a cabaret show. Page by page. He frequently appeared in plays at The Muny, a historic outdoor venue in St. Louis.