The Last Five Years
- For the film based on the musical, see The Last Five Years (film)
| The Last Five Years | |
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2002 Album Cover
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| Music | Jason Robert Brown |
| Lyrics | Jason Robert Brown |
| Book | Jason Robert Brown |
| Productions | 2001 Chicago 2002 Off-Broadway 2005 Germany 2006 London 2007 Edinburgh Fringe 2010 Sweden 2012 Denmark 2013 Off-Broadway revival 2014 Norway 2015 Film |
The Last Five Years is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally.
The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt,[1] a struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie's is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect.
The Last Five Years was inspired by Brown's failed marriage to Theresa O'Neill. O'Neill threatened legal action on the grounds the story of the musical represented her relationship with Brown too closely, and Brown changed the song "I Could Be in Love With Someone Like You" to "Shiksa Goddess" in order to reduce the similarity between the character Cathy and O'Neill.[2]
The Last Five Years cast album was released by Sh-K-Boom Records in April 2002.[3] A film adaptation starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan was released in February 2015.[4]
Contents
Synopsis
Cathy is sitting alone lamenting the end of her marriage ("Still Hurting"). We shift to meet Jamie. It is five years earlier and he has just met Cathy. Jamie is overjoyed to be dating outside his Jewish heritage ("Shiksa Goddess").
Cathy and Jamie are in Ohio. It is her birthday and he has come to visit her as she works in a show there ("See I'm Smiling"). She is anxious to fix any problems in their marriage but she becomes angry when Jamie tells her he has to go back early to New York. During breaks in the music, we see a younger Jamie, talking to a literary agent about his book.
Jamie is moving in with Cathy. He comments on how lucky he is that everything is going right for him; his book is being published and his life with Cathy seems too good to be true ("Moving Too Fast"). Elsewhere an older Cathy is making a call to her agent: it seems her career isn't going the way she planned it.
Cathy is attending Jamie's book party. She sings about how he ignores her for his writing but she will always be in love with him ("I'm a Part of That").
Jamie and Cathy celebrate their first Christmas. He tells her a new story he has written about an old tailor named Schmuel and he gives her a Christmas present: a watch, promising to support her as she follows her dreams of acting. ("The Schmuel Song").
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The duet between Jamie and Cathy in "The Next Ten Minutes", as performed by Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz on the 2002 Off-Broadway cast recording.
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Cathy is in Ohio and writing to Jamie. She describes to Jamie her disappointing life in Ohio among her eccentric colleagues ("A Summer in Ohio").
Jamie is sitting with Cathy in Central Park. Jamie proposes to her and, for the first time in the musical, they sing together ("The Next Ten Minutes"). They get married, exchanging vows to stay together forever.
Jamie is facing temptation from other women, especially now his career as a writer has escalated ("A Miracle Would Happen"). Cathy, meanwhile, is auditioning for the job in Ohio ("When You Come Home to Me"). She is getting down about the rejection she faces as an actress and complains to her father ("Climbing Uphill").
Jamie speaks to Cathy on the phone, trying to convince her that there is nothing going on with him and his editor, Elise. He wants to celebrate a book review but Cathy refuses to go out.
Jamie is fighting with Cathy, trying to get her to listen to him. He accuses her of being unsupportive of his career just because hers is failing. Though his words are harsh, he promises her that he believes in her ("If I Didn't Believe in You").
A younger Cathy is in the car with Jamie, who is going to meet her parents. She tells him about her past relationships and hopes not to end up in a small town life like her friend from high school ("I Can Do Better Than That"). She asks Jamie to move in with her.
Near the end of the relationship Jamie wakes up beside another woman ("Nobody Needs to Know"). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy for destroying his privacy and their relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to this woman and tells her, that "I could be in love with someone like you," just as he does to Cathy in "Shiksa Goddess."
Cathy is ecstatic after her first date with Jamie. She sings goodbye ("Goodbye Until Tomorrow"). She proclaims that she has been waiting for Jamie her whole life. Simultaneously but five years forward, Jamie sits in their shared apartment writing laments over the relationship ("I Could Never Rescue You"). As Cathy waves Jamie "goodbye until tomorrow", Jamie wishes Cathy simply "goodbye".
Music
The musical style draws on a number of musical genres, including pop, jazz, and classical, klezmer, Latin, Rock, and Folk. The orchestration consists of piano, guitar, fretless bass, two cellos, one doubling on celesta and tubular bell, and violin, doubling cymbal.
- "Still Hurting" - Cathy
- "Shiksa Goddess" - Jamie
- "See I'm Smiling" - Cathy
- "Moving Too Fast" - Jamie
- "I'm A Part of That" - Cathy
- "The Schmuel Song" - Jamie
- "A Summer in Ohio" - Cathy
- "The Next Ten Minutes" - Jamie & Cathy
- "A Miracle Would Happen/When You Come Home to Me" - Jamie/Cathy
- "Climbing Uphill/Audition Sequence" - Cathy
- "If I Didn't Believe in You" - Jamie
- "I Can Do Better Than That" - Cathy
- "Nobody Needs to Know" - Jamie
- "Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You" - Jamie & Cathy
- Source: MTI Shows song list
Original Casts
| Character | Chicago (2001) | Off-Broadway (2002) | Off-Broadway (2013) | Film Adaptation (2015) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie | Norbert Leo Butz | Adam Kantor | Jeremy Jordan | |
| Cathy | Lauren Kennedy | Sherie Rene Scott | Betsy Wolfe | Anna Kendrick |
Production history
Original Chicago production
The show debuted at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Illinois in 2001, running from May–July 1. The production starred Lauren Kennedy as Cathy and Norbert Leo Butz as Jamie.[5] Kennedy had a previous commitment (a role in South Pacific in London) and was replaced by Sherie Rene Scott.[6] Scott, therefore, performed the vocals on the cast recording.
Off-Broadway
The show opened Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre on March 3, 2002 and closed May 5, 2002. Directed by Daisy Prince, Butz and Scott again starred.[7] The production won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics, as well as receiving Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Orchestrations, and Outstanding Set Design.[8] It also received the Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Actor, and the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical.
Regional
The show was presented at the Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida running from December 5 to 30, 2012. Directed by David Arisco and starring Janet Dacal and Christopher A. Kent.[9]
Off-Broadway revival
The show was revived in 2013 Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre for a limited engagement with Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe in the roles of Jamie and Cathy, respectively. Brown himself directed.[10] In March of 2015, Kantor and Wolfe reprised their roles in a two-night-only concert production of the show at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. [11]
Australia
The Australian premiere took place in Melbourne in 2003 at FortyFive Downstairs and was produced by Echelon Productions.[12] The production starred Tim Wright as Jamie Wellerstein and Amanda Levy as Cathy Hyatt. It was nominated for multiple Helpmann Award and Green Room Awards and went on to tour Australia through 2004 and 2005.
In 2011, theatre company Stories Like These produced a sold out Sydney season at The Seymour Centre, starring Australian Idol and Wicked star Rob Mills and cabaret star Marika Aubrey. The couple were featured on The Morning Show singing the duet "The Next Ten Minutes" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZsu14wA-EQ. The production was nominated for A Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical.
Europe
The show was produced in Paris, France in 2013 by American Musical Theatre Live [13] directed by Stéphane Ly-Cuong with musical direction by John Florencio featuring Miranda Crispin and Jonathan Wagner.[14]
The show was also produced at Theatre Severn, England in January 2011 with Direction from James Dakers and Musical Direction from Jemma Harris and Paul Herbert of Perfect Pitch. This production starred Chris Jenkins (South Pacific, Spamalot & The Umbrella of Cherbourg) as Jamie Wellerstein.
Singapore
Singapore's first professional production was mounted by Dream Academy in February 2014. The Last Five Years was the debut production for The Henderson Project and was directed by Jasmine Teo. Cathy and Jamie were played by Mina Kaye and Linden Furnell respectively. Musical direction by Julian Wong.
Philippines
The musical was first staged in Manila in 2003 by Actor’s Actors, Inc., with Audie Gemora and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo playing Jamie and Cathy, and Bart Guingona directing.
In 2014, 9 Works Theatrical is staged its own production of the musical in celebration of the company’s fifth anniversary, this time with Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Jamie Wellerstein and Nikki Gil as Cathy Hiatt, directed by Robbie Guevara.[15]
Greece
The show was produced in Greece at the Pierce College Auditorium with international recording artist Christos Alexandrou in the role of Jamie and Ann-Marie Aronis in the role of Cathy.
Film adaptation
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An adaptation starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan was directed by PS, I Love You director Richard LaGravenese.[16]
References
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- ↑ Vogel, Scott." Young Composer's Wonder 'Years'" Washington Post, June 17, 2005
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- ↑ Jones, Kenneth.Marriage Dissected: Brown's Musical, Last Five Years, Opening May 23 in IL" Playbill.com, May 23, 2001
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- ↑ Brantley, Ben.Novelist and an Actress Sharing a Leaky Boat" The New York Times, March 4, 2002
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth; Simonson, Robert."Drama Desk Awards Announced; Goat, Metamorphoses Tie for Best Play, Millie Scores" Playbill.com, May 20, 2002
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External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Last Five Years |
- The Last Five Years at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- New York Times review, March 4, 2002
- Curtain Up review, March 2002
- The Last Five Years at the Music Theatre International website
