Shakespeare Meets Buckley In 'The Last Goodbye'

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: The timeless tragic tale of doomed lovers and tragic loss of the indie music star. The combination seems fitting when the put like that, but saying that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is being presented with the songs of Jeff Buckley may be more challenging. The old globe is currently presenting ìThe Last Goodbyeî, a production that uses Shakespeare's words and Buckley's songs to tell the story of Romeo and Juliet. Joining me are Kris Kukul who wrote the orchestrations and music directions, and Talisa Friedman. KRIS KUKUL: Thanks for having me. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And Talisa Friedman plays Julia. TALISA FRIEDMAN: Thank you. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Jeff Buckley died at an early age. Many people may not be aware of who he is. Tell us about him. KRIS KUKUL: Yes he was young and had one studio album by from that was released before he passed away. He was working on the second. In Memphis he tragically drowned in the river. While he was recording the album. So that album hasn't been released sort of in unfinished version so there are now two of us. It's a huge body of work that he did record. He recorded Hallelujah, a Leonard Cohen song, but his version of that song totally brought up outside into the public consciousness. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: He's attained occult status over the years. KRIS KUKUL: Yes he has. It's the thing that happens with rockstars that die too young. They have a small body of work that people become fanatic fans with. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: You collaborated on this project pretty early on. Tell me where this idea came about. When you think about it there certainly is a crossover in teams between his life and the story of Romeo and Juliet. They both end young, and badly in a way. How did the idea to combine these? KRIS KUKUL: The idea came from Michael Kimmel, the creator and adapter. About six years ago. He heard the song forget her, it's one of Jeff Buckley's songs and thought that it seemed to be similar to Romeo trying to forget Rosaline, his prior girlfriend before Juliet. He tried to piece the songs into the play, and with each song he started seeing it work. And then at that point he brought me on. We did a small concert for Jeff Buckley's mother who runs his estate. A very small venue in New York. She loved the piece. She has been it in intricate part of it. We started developing and had a series of workshops and have an early production in Williamstown Massachusetts. And then brought on Alex Timbers the director. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Let's hear a sample. (music plays) MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: That is a fascinating idea. Talisa, do you find the music helps you as an actor tell the story? TALISA FRIEDMAN: So much. To take on the story and have new text and song lyrics to play with. It was such a cool opportunity. Jeff Buckley's music is almost uncanny how well it fits in with the story. The themes of the songs are so much about life and death and love they're really extreme feelings. One of my favorite albums of the live recording. Before he sings grace ñ a song about your own mortality and finding love, a theme in Romeo and Juliet. Having those emotions in his song to lift out of the strip script is like taking Shakespeare to a new level. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Romeo and Juliet has of course been used about the theme as for another musical, Westside Story. How is this a different combination of music, Kris? KRIS KUKUL: We use Shakespearean text. Westside Story was updated to take place in New York they had a new book and different characters. We use the text that Shakespeare wrote. A lot of the soliloquies are replaced with songs. When a character gets an emotional high point they need sing to propel the scene. All of the characters are the same, it takes place in Verona. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: It's not set in contemporary time, Talisa? TALISA FRIEDMAN: No, it's in its own world. We wanted to make sure that we do not have inconsistencies with swords, or nurses. Not wearing pumping pants. He wanted to make sure that it was relatable to a contemporary audience. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Is there dancing? TALISA FRIEDMAN: Sonya Tayeh is our brilliant choreographer. KRIS KUKUL: From so you think you can dance. She ñ there is the big dance were Romeo and Juliet first meet. Sonya has done incredibly. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Getting the music, you're talking before that this is a play that a lot of kids in high school have done, and a lot of people can recite phrases or sentences from it. Does it bring a freshness to this production for you to have this combined? TALISA FRIEDMAN: Yes it does. there are so many new aspects of the script that we got to explore because of it. There's a song that Romeo and Juliet sing after the lark in the nightingale scene where they're parting for what might be the last time. To be singing a Jeff Buckley song called Last Goodbye. It's a pretty that are song all about exploring the doubts and anger involved in parting. So having the two play at that moment rather than just the sadness of parting, but to have his moment of anger and fear at the parting brought the text to a new level. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Kris, what kind of reaction are you getting from this? KRIS KUKUL: We get a standing ovation every night. There's cheering and the mood of the piece of that of a rock concert. We want the excitement and in general, that's what you get from rock music. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Such difference from just the usual Shakespeare play that would be presented. It's more of a concert? KRIS KUKUL: It's not a concert but a full theater production. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Yes I mean the atmosphere and excitement level? KRIS KUKUL: That hot bloodedness that comes from rock music is in the play. Explosive and exciting environment. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: I want to ask you both finally, there's a new Romeo and Juliet in theaters now. What is it about this that you think is so intimately involved in it right now that makes it so endearing? TALISA FRIEDMAN: It just really captures the purity of love when you find it the first time. Everyone in the cast has really been rediscovering those emotions and is taking us all back to the time when you're 13 or 14 and discover that for the first time. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And Kris? KRIS KUKUL: It's been the greatest story since it has been written 500 years ago. I feel anyone who has been such that the story would say the same thing. It just continues to be the end-all be-all. Amazing. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: I want to let our listeners know that run of the Last Goodbye continues at the Old Globe and Balboa Park through November 3rd. I've been speaking with Kris Kukul, who has written the orchestrations, music directions, and arrangements for the Last Goodbye, and Talisa Friedman, who plays Juliet. Thank you so much.