Just three months after an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet featuring music by the late Jeff Buckley began picking up steam, yet another William Shakespeare play is to be accompanied by the tunes of an iconic singer/songwriter. According to their official site, Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan have approved the use of their songs for an upcoming Dutch production of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
Premiering in Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam this September, theater production company Orkater have enlisted a group called the Sadists to score performances with “Misery Is The River Of The World”, “God’s Away On Business”, “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”, “I’ll Shoot The Moon”, “Underground,” “The Part You Throw Away,” and other classic songs from the Waits/Brennan oeuvre. The group will be led by musical director Vincent Van Warmerdam.
“Just like Shakespeare did,” said Van Warmerdam, “Waits and Brennan incorporate poetry, provocation, seduction and irony in their songs. Their music illustrates, mirrors and strengthens Richard’s character.”