"The Last 5 Years:" Tiny Musical, Oversized Emotions

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JWR-0318.mp3

March 18, 2013

"[This] is a tiny musical: two characters, 75 minutes. But it's a musical about oversized motions" -J. Wynn Rousuck

It's a fairly simple concept-a couple tells the story of their relationship, which spans five years. What complicates this premise is the fact that husband Jamie recounts the last five years from the beginning of their relationship. Wife Cathy tells the story backwards--working from the current point in their marriage--which is rocky.

The interaction between the characters on stage, the structure of the story, and who may or may not be playing Jamie and Cathy on the night of the show, may be a surprise to those who attend a production of "The Last 5 Years" at Spotlighters Theatre.

Maryland Morning theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck says director Fuzz Roark cast four different combinations of Jamie and Cathy for the show, which runs until March 24.

"He has double cast the roles of Jamie and Cathy. Initially, he was going to simply have alternating casts," Rousuck says. "Instead, he decided to shuffle the actors." 

At least two actors have been cast in the upcoming film version of "The Last Five Years," Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

Music, Lyrics & Book by Jason Robert Brown

   Directed by Fuzz Roark

   Cast includes 

   Lauren Schein and Norma Gomez as Cathy Hiatt 

   Zachary Carter and Bart Debicki as Jamie Wellerstein 

*Clips from the 2002 New York cast album were used in Rousuck's review.