Romeo and Juliet Musical The Last Goodbye, Set to Jeff Buckley Tunes, May Debut Next Season

The Last Goodbye, a rock musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet featuring the songs of the late Jeff Buckley, is eyeing a premiere during the 2010-11 season, according to Variety. The show hopes to debut at an unnamed out-of-town venue after a forthcoming developmental reading in New York conceived, adapted and directed by Michael Kimmel.

Developed in collaboration with Mary Guibert, Buckley’s mother and executor, The Last Goodbye is the first show to be authorized by the estate of the singer, who drowned at age 30 in 1997. The musical includes tunes such as "Lover, You Should've Come Over,” “Grace” and “Eternal Life" woven into dialogue taken directly from Shakespeare. Buckley's famed cover version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is also reportedly included in the score.

A three-performance concert version of The Last Goodbye was presented in May 2009 at Joe’s Pub with a 14-member cast that included Broadway vets Kelli Barrett (The Royal Family, Rock of Ages) and Theo Stockman (Hair, American Idiot). Kris Kukul is music director and arranger.