1997 starb der amerikanische Singer/Songwriter Jeff Buckley im Alter von 30 Jahren. Im Mai dieses Jahres hielt er sich in Memphis, Tennessee, auf, um an seinem zweiten Studioalbum “My Sweetheart the Drunk” zu arbeiten. Am Abend des 29. Mai, kurz vor der ersten Probe zum neuen Album mit seinen Bandkollegen, machten er und ein Freund am Ufer des Wolf River halt. Spontan ging Buckley vollbekleidet ins Wasser. Er kam bis zur Mitte des Flusses, wo ihn die Bugwelle eines Schiffes unter Wasser zog. Die Leiche des 30-Jährigen wurde fünf Tage später gefunden. Laut Obduktionsbericht befanden sich kein Alkohol oder andere Drogen in seinem Körper.

2010 - Buckley ist längst zur Legende geworden, das hat viele Gründe. Einer davon ist die Art und Weise, wie er auf seiner Debüt-CD “Grace” (1994) den von Leonhard Cohen 1984 geschriebenen Song “Hallelujah” interpretiert hat. Es war diese Interpretation, die der Grundstein zu seiner Karriere wurde.

Heute nennen viele Musiker aus der Singer/Songwriter-Branche Buckley als wichtige Inspirationsquelle, unter ihnen Coldplay, Radiohead, Muse-Frontmann Matthew Bellamy, Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright und Bright Eyes. Chris Cornell hat ihm auf seinem Soloalbum “Euphoria Morning” den Song “Wave Goodbye” gewidmet und auch die Indelicates gedenken seiner mit dem Song “… If Jeff Buckley Had Lived”.

2010 ist auch das Jahr, in dem ein Musical mit der Musik von Jeff Buckley seine Premiere feierte. Am 5. August startete “The Last Goodbye”, eine Rockversion des bekannten “Romeo & Julia”-Stoffs, beim amerikanischen Williamstown Festival. Noch bis 20. August 2010 ist die Show zu sehen.

The Last Goodbye
Idee/Adaption: Michael Kimmel
Musik/Texte: Jeff Buckley
Musikalische Leitung, Arrangements: Kris Kukul
Regie: Michael Kimmel
Choreographie: Sonya Tayeh

Bühnenbild: Michael Brown
Kostüme: Anne Kennedy
Lichtdesign: Ben Stanton
Sounddesign: Ken Travis
Production Stage Manager: David H. Lurie
Production Manager: Joel M. Krause
Casting: MelCap Casting

Cast
Kelli Barrett, Nick Blaemire, Celina Carvajal, Merle Dandridge, Damon Daunno, Tom Hennes, Max Jenkins, Jo Lampert, Jesse Lenat, Deb Lyons, Grace McLean, Michael Park, Ashley Robinson, Chloe Webb

Michael Kimmel über “The Last Goodbye” in einem Interview mit timesunion.com:

Q: What effect did Buckley’s music have on you when you first heard it, and over time?

A: I think I had and continue to have the reaction most fans of Jeff’s have, I am in awe of how emotionally raw and honest his voice and songs were. I think that when people find Jeff’s music, they tend to be going through a turbulent time, and Jeff’s a kindred spirit, someone who is going through the same pain or anguish. It has always been important to me to capture that aspect of the music as we adapt it to the play. The characters in “Romeo & Juliet” are going to extreme places emotionally, and the rawness of Jeff’s songs makes that even more intense.

Q: Chicken or egg: Did you first decide to revamp “Romeo & Juliet” or to create a vehicle using Buckley’s music?

A: Neither. It was a truly organic discovery. I was listening to Jeff’s song “Forget Her,” and it reminded me of Benvolio talking to Romeo about Rosaline. So I went back to the play and Benvolio says, “Be ruled by me, forget to think of her.” And so as I developed it, and looked to add more music, what happened was the play would give a specificity and context for the songs, and the songs gave a new emotional depth to the story. The other exciting thing about Jeff’s music is that its full of conflict. He sings about things he is in the middle of, that he’s trying to work out. That makes the music active and gives it a journey, so that the songs fit into the scenes really well. As for fusing the two, since both Shakespeare’s poetry and Jeff’s are similar, we tried whenever possible to weave them together (as opposed to scene/song, scene/song). I think the piece is most exciting when you don’t know where Shakespeare ends and Jeff begins.

Q: Is this a period piece, or is it set in modern times? Is there much dance? Is the music intermittent or throughout?

A: The look and feel is definitely modern, as well as urban. There is a grittiness to the setting that mirrors the music. Sonya Tayeh, our choreographer, has been working to create a visual vocabulary in movement that marries the visceral aspects of the play and the music. It’s emotionally relatable, exciting and fresh. I don’t think there’s been movement quite like this on a stage before. And we use part or all of 20 of Jeff’s songs, so there is music throughout.

Q: How intertwined is the music in this production, and how closely did you work with Kris Kukul on the arrangements?

A: Kris and I worked very closely on the arrangements in terms of placement of songs and context. But the arrangements are all his ideas. What is truly amazing is how he has taken songs for one voice and opened them up for an ensemble. The arrangements take beautiful songs and make them epic and theatrical. He also arranged them so they never lost their gritty rock feel, even with more voices involved.

“The Last Goodbye”, das könnte eine Show sein, die es irgendwann an den Broadway schafft. In die Williamstown-Produktion investierten unter anderem die Broadway-Produzenten Hal Luftig sowie Stephen und Ruth Hendel. Ein Reading ist für den Herbst in Manhattan geplant.

Links
- New York Times: Star-Cross’d Songs for Star-Cross’d Lovers
- “The Last Goodbye” @Facebook
- Variety: Buckley’s ‘Goodbye’ tunes up
- Playbill: Jeff Buckley Musical The Last Goodbye to Debut at Williamstown; Further Details of 2010 Season Emerge