Ken Page, Voice of Oogie Boogie and Original Cast Member of Broadway’s ‘Cats,’ Dies at 70
by Andrés Buenahora · VarietyKen Page, a theater icon who brought Old Deuteronomy to life in the Broadway debut of “Cats” and delighted children everywhere by voicing Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” has died. He was 70.
Page died Monday, Sept. 30, at home in St. Louis, Mo. His talent agent, Todd M. Eskin, announced the news Tuesday; no cause of death was given.
Page’s career spanned both stage and screen. He starred opposite Beyoncé in the 2006 film adaptation of the musical, voiced King Gator in the classic Don Bluth animated feature “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the first Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls” (his rendition of “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boatt” was the stuff of legends).
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As a stage actor, Page made his Broadway debut as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of “The Wiz.” Page won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as part of the original cast of the Fats Waller musical “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and returned to the show when it came back to the Broadway stage in 1988.
In 1982, Page joined the original Broadway cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” musical as the Jellicle cat patriarch, Old Deuteronomy, the magical cat who is basically the epicenter of the entire show. Page was asked to reprise his role in 1998 when a recording of this long-lasting musical was recorded for fans in a direct-to-video taping.
Page’s former Broadway co-star Elaine Paige also paid tribute on X, writing: “My wonderful Old Deuteronomy, Ken Page, in the 1998 theatrical movie version of @CatsMusical, has gone to the heaviside layer. We certainly are having a sad September. He was a lovely, kind, talented man. RIP Ken.”
In 1993 Page took on the role of villain for Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton‘s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” His baritone was the perfect pairing for the spooky yet absolutely enchanting creation. Page would often appear to perform “Oogie Boogie’s Song” at the Hollywood Bowl’s live singalong of the film, often stealing the show.