When I saw Hamlet set to the music of Radiohead at a local college once it was pretty awful, but I could kind of picture this: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been made into a musical adaptation featuring the songs of Jeff Buckley and, most importantly, “with the permission of The Estate of Jeff Buckley.” That last part is a big deal because Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert has notoriously guarded her son’s legacy very closely.
Michael Kimmel’s adaptation, The Last Goodbye, will premiere next Monday (May 11) at NYC’s Joe’s Pub in the first of three performances. Here’s the show’s description from Buckley’s official site:
Created hundreds of years apart, the timeless work of two of history’s great poets collide in this visceral and moving world premiere theatrical event. Part rock concert, part Elizabethan verse, part 21st century musical, THE LAST GOODBYE features a cast of fourteen extraordinary young, up-and-coming actor-singers. Told through Jeff Buckley’s daring and soulful music, William Shakespeare’s romantic and violent tragedy is new yet again.