Tom Waits has abandoned his Robert Wilson theatrical collaboration, “Death Car,” according to a spokesperson for Waits, but Waits remains involved with director Aaron Posner and Teller’s (of Penn & Teller) production of the Shakespeare play “The Tempest,” to which Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan are contributing songs and music.

“Death Car” is based on the story of Bonnie and Clyde. The production was to premiere at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen on November 7, 2014, but has now been pulled from the Royal Theater’s 2014 schedule, according to the Danish newspaper Metroxpress.

Waits’ “agent” told the Royal Theater “he does not feel that he can complete the project as planned,” Metroxpress reported.

“It was a huge shock. It was completely unexpected,” the play’s producer Nicolai Vemming told Metroxpress.

“The problem is linked to the music,” Vemming said. “When all this being said, I am grateful to Tom Waits makes the assessment that he can not reach to complete on time, and that he will not deliver a bad product. He feels bad about it, but the decision is taken.”

Robert Wilson is still working on “Death Car,” which was also to be performed in Germany, Norway and The Netherlands.

Meanwhile, “The Tempest” will premiere at The Smith Center for Performing Arts in Las Vegas in early April of this year.

Here’s part of the promotional write-up for “The Tempest”:

Experience Prospero’s wizardry as never before in this startling production, featuring magic created by Teller (of the legendary duo Penn & Teller). When shipwrecked aristocrats wash up on the shores of Prospero’s strange island, they find themselves immersed in a world of trickery and amazement, where Tom Waits’ Dust Bowl balladry and Teller’s magic animate the spirits and monsters.

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