Kurt Cobain’s heirs have spoken out strongly against an opera inspired by the Nirvana singer’s final days. The Royal Opera House production is an adaptation of Gus Van Sant’s film Last Days, which tells a fictionalized version of Cobain’s end of life. The community of heirs emphasized that the opera was not authorized.
“‘Last Days’ was produced and written without permission,” shared the community of heirs. “This show, like the film, is an unauthorized attempt to capitalize on the brief meeting between Kurt and Gus Van Sant. This one meeting has been exploited for profit for 30 years, enough is enough.”
“The Royal Opera House’s production of ‘Last Days’ is adapted from Gus Van Sant’s 2005 cult film of the same name,” the opera house said in a statement. “It is a fictionalized report, and was produced with permission from Gus Van Sant and HBO.”
“Modern History of Self-Destruction”
Last Days is the debut opera by British composer Oliver Leith, with a libretto by artist Matt Copson. “This haunting world premiere brings a modern tale of self-destruction to the operatic stage,” reads the opera house’s description. As in the film, the story, loosely based on Kurt Cobain’s end of life, revolves around the last days of the musician Blake.
“Blake, a musician, recently escaped from rehab to return home,” writes the opera house about the plot. “But he is tormented by objects, visitors and memories that distract him from his true goal – self-destruction.” The premiere ran in London from October 7th to 11th.