PhotosPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Billy Bustamante's Backstage and Offstage Portraits of Jeff Buckley's The Last GoodbyeThe Last Goodbye, a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, featuring songs by Jeff Buckley, plays San Diego's Old Globe. Cast member and photographer Billy Bustamante shares these exclusive portraits, showing the backstage world and offering a rare look at the show as shot from the wings.
By
Matthew Blank
October 28, 2013
"Greetings from San Diego," says Bustamante, who has previously lent his photography skills to Tulipomania and Thoroughly Modern Millie. "I am so happy to be back with Playbill giving readers a behind the scenes look at our lovely show, The Last Goodbye. Working on this amazing new show has been a true privilege. We have one week left here at the beautiful Old Globe Theatre. Come check us out!"
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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Billy Bustamante's Backstage and Offstage Portraits of Jeff Buckley's The Last Goodbye
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: Billy Bustamante's Backstage and Offstage Portraits of Jeff Buckley's The Last Goodbye
The Last Goodbye, a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, featuring songs by Jeff Buckley, plays San Diego's Old Globe. Cast member and photographer Billy Bustamante shares these exclusive portraits, showing the backstage world and offering a rare look at the show...
61 PHOTOS
GREETINGS from San Diego! Hope you enjoy this inside look into what we're up to here with The Last Goodbye. Here we go!
Billy Bustamante
The Old Globe probably wins the prize for "Prettiest Walk to Work". Here's one of the many amazing trees I pass on my way to the show.
Billy Bustamante
Working in Balboa Park means passing through the San Diego Zoo and saying hi to this fella!
Here's the wall of fame by our dressing rooms. See anyone familiar?
Billy Bustamante
They store some pretty cool stuff back here.
Billy Bustamante
Here's one of our Spot Ops, Leah getting ready for the show.
Billy Bustamante
Almost time for fight call!
Billy Bustamante
Here's our AMAZING Dance/ Fight Captain, James getting ready for Fight Call.
Billy Bustamante
Our wonderful Stage Manager, Peter chatting w/ Cast member, Eric before Fight call begins.
Billy Bustamante
Aaaaaand FIGHT CALL! The fights in this show are no joke so we run them before every show... Here's Hale and Jeremy doin their thing.
Billy Bustamante
And soon we all join in!
Billy Bustamante
Master James keeps a watchful eye.
Billy Bustamante
Now time to get ready! Here's a glimpse of the Male Ensemble dressing room...
Billy Bustamante
Here are some of the masks we wear for the party scene.
Billy Bustamante
Our swing, Bradley is celebrating his first time going on today!! He killed it!
Billy Bustamante
The lovely Megan Carmitchel...
Billy Bustamante
Quick stop to say hi to Hale, Jeremy, and Wallace...
Billy Bustamante
Old pals Jeremy and Wallace being productive. ; )
Billy Bustamante
Hale showing us how we all get tatted up. He has some of the coolest tattoos in the show. Note the Queen Mab fingers.
Billy Bustamante
Now he's all dressed and ready to go!
Billy Bustamante
Our lovely Juliet, Talisa getting the star treatment she deserves.
Billy Bustamante
Our Romeo, Jay, showing off our opening night gifts, framed production photos shots by the AMAZING Matthew Murphy!
Billy Bustamante
Our Nurse, Tonye showing off her fan-ography skills.
Billy Bustamante
Cast member, Adam is all dressed and ready to get his Capulet on.
Billy Bustamante
Dresser, Tim and our Benvolio, Brandon help Wallace dawn his Prince garb.
Billy Bustamante
Wallace in all his princely glory.
Billy Bustamante
Our stellar ladies, Shannon (Lady Capulet) and Nancy (Lady Montague) showing of their AMAZING costumes.
Billy Bustamante
Cast member Nik taking a quiet moment before places is called.
Billy Bustamante
Our guitar-playing, face-melting Singer, Adam tuning up. He is amazing, y'all.
Billy Bustamante
We sneak in a quick Montague family portrait before heading to our places. Here's Steve, Brandon, Nancy, Brian, James and Hale!
Billy Bustamante
Now for the cool part... I get to take you guys back stage for a glimpse of our beautiful show from the wings! Here's a rare look at the show WE see...
Billy Bustamante
Our amazing Conductor, Arranger and Orchestrater, Kris leading the band.
Billy Bustamante
Adam tearing it up on the guitar...
Billy Bustamante
Quick shot of Romeo (Jay) and Juliet (Talisa) in looooove.
Billy Bustamante
Our wonderful Friar, Stephen Bogardus.
Billy Bustamante
Sensible aerial view...
Billy Bustamante
That's about all I am able to shoot in Act one! But trust me, stuff goes down. Here's Mercutio (Hale) and Tybalt (Jeremy) at intermission. SO. MUCH. BLOOD!
Billy Bustamante
Onto act 2! Romeo and Juliet stealing a (final?) kiss...
Billy Bustamante
... and a glmpse.
Billy Bustamante
Dan (Capulet) teaching his daughter what's what.
Billy Bustamante
Dreamy Paris (Eric) w/ Juliet and the Friar.
Billy Bustamante
Juliet and the Friar
Billy Bustamante
Juliet
Billy Bustamante
Some mother-daughter bonding between Lady Capulet and Juliet.
Billy Bustamante
Another of Talisa and Shannon...
Billy Bustamante
Juliet singing the moving Jeff Buckley song, "What Will You Say"
Billy Bustamante
Romeo (Jay) in exile...
Billy Bustamante
Jay scaling the walls. He is all over this set, y'all.
Billy Bustamante
Romeo (Jay) with the Apothecary (Bryan).
Billy Bustamante
Jay singing the Buckley classic, "Grace"
Billy Bustamante
Jay Armstrong Johnson delivers "Grace." And man does he SING it!
Billy Bustamante
View from Stage Left...
Billy Bustamante
And stage right!
Billy Bustamante
R&J
Billy Bustamante
One last thing I can show ya! Here is our crazy set, all peaceful post-show. Come check us out at the Old Globe until Nov. 3rd!!
Conceived and adapted by Michael Kimmel, The Last Goodbye continues through Nov. 3.
Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), the cast features Jay Armstrong Johnson as Romeo and Talisa Friedman as Juliet. Armstrong's stage credits include Hands on a Hardbody, Catch Me If You Can and Hair. Friedman has performed in Ah, Wilderness!;The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie;The Bardy Bunch; and Donnie Darko.
"The Last Goodbye is a new musical fusing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with some of the most thrilling rock music of the past 20 years," press notes state. "That light in yonder window is still the east and Juliet is still the sun...but the sound in her bedchamber is all new: the sweeping, emotional and extraordinarily beautiful songs of the late rock icon Jeff Buckley."
"I am deeply proud and very excited to launch the Globe's 2013-14 Season, and my tenure as artistic director here, with The Last Goodbye," Barry Edelstein said in an earlier statement. "This daring, moving and hugely entertaining work brings together many of the things that are central to the Globe's identity: a classic text, the vibrant energies of the musical theatre, a sumptuous and splendid production and a creative team of the first rank in the American theatre. It's a particular thrill to welcome Alex Timbers to the Globe, an artist whose work delights and surprises and whose sensibility renews the American musical in ways I both appreciate and admire. I know that audiences in San Diego and beyond will love this powerful and original show."
The creative team includes Christopher Barreca (scenic design), Jennifer Moeller (costume design), Justin Townsend (lighting design), Ken Travis (sound design), Ian Hersey (text consultant), Kate Waters (fight director), Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum (associate fight director), Carrie Gardner, CSA (casting) and Peter Lawrence (stage manager).
The Last Goodbye features choreography by Emmy Award nominee Sonya Tayeh ("So You Think You Can Dance") and orchestrations, music direction and arrangements by Kris Kukul.
Tickets can be purchased online at TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.
Written in 2002 by one of the foremothers of the Black Arts Movement, Chiaroscuro invites audiences to join six Black singles on a singles cruise to nowhere.