Courtney Love Denies Rumors of Nirvana-Inspired Broadway Musical

By: Nov. 04, 2012
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

As reported last month, Courtney Love’s manager revealed plans for a Broadway play based on the rock singer's life story. While testifying under oath against his former client Britney Spears, music manager Sam Lutfi shared Love's goal of bringing her story to the big screen or to a Broadway musical. Love is the 48-year-old widow of Kurt Cobain, the late Nirvana lead singer who killed himself in 1994.

But according to The Observer, Courtney Love has denied the rumor that a Kurt Cobain musical is in the works for Broadway.

"There will be no musical," Love told the publication. "Sometimes it's best just to leave things alone."

Love recently handed over some rights to Cobain's likeness and Nirvana's publishing, and now CBS is working on a sitcom called "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Fans have responded unhappily, saying Cobain's legacy has become over-commercialized.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was also used in a recent Muppets movie, which Love said she regrets. "I got bullied into selling what I sold," she told The Observer. "I'm never selling the rest of it."

Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic and quickly established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach in 1989. After signing to major label DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's second album Nevermind. Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the "spokesman of a generation", with Nirvana being considered the "flagship band" of Generation X.

Nirvana's brief run ended following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Novoselic, Grohl, and  Love. Since its debut, the band has sold over 25 million records in the United States alone, and over 75 million records worldwide.


Vote Sponsor


Videos