Developed in collaboration with Mary Guibert, Buckley’s mother and executor, The Last Goodbyeis 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.