The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years
2002 Album Cover
Music	Jason Robert Brown
Lyrics	Jason Robert Brown
Book	Jason Robert Brown
Productions	2001 Chicago 2002 Off-Broadway 2006 London 2007 Edinburgh Fringe 2012 Denmark

The Last Five Years is a one-act musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered in Chicago 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 Hyatt, 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.

The Last Five Years cast album was released by Sh-K-Boom Records in April 2002.

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 obsessed with his "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. Perhaps his career is about to take off?

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 ("The Schmuel Song").

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/celesta, guitar, bass, two cellos, and violin.

• "Still Hurting" (Cathy)
• "Shiksa Goddess" (Jamie) *Replaced "I Could Be in Love With Someone Like You" from the Chicago production
• "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" (Cathy/Jamie)

Source: MTI Shows song list

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. Kennedy had a previous commitment (a role in South Pacific in London) and was replaced by Sherie Rene Scott. 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. 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. 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.

Other U.S. productions

• The East West Players in Los Angeles, California performed a one night production for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This production was directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, starring Michael K. Lee as Jamie and Jennifer Paz as Cathy. In this performance the composer and writer of the musical, Jason Robert Brown, played piano as the sole instrument for the performance.

• Brown revealed that there are plans to bring The Last Five Years to Broadway with himself directing and also hinted a possible film adaptation.

International productions

UK

The original London production at the Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre ran from July 18-September 30, 2006. Damian Humbley played Jamie and Lara Pulver played Cathy.

Germany

• The original German-language production premiered in Wuppertal, Germany on June 18, 2005 at the Rex-Theater. Jamie was played by Patrick Stanke, and Cathy by Charlotte Heinke. Daniel Witzke and Christoph Drewitz directed. The translation was provided by Wolfgang Adenberg, and the show also produced a cast album.^{[citation needed]}

Australia

The Last Five Years has enjoyed several stagings of the musical. The premiere production was at fortyfivedownstairs in 2003, produced by Echelon, directed by Dean Bryant and featuring Tim Wright and Amanda Levy.^{[citation needed]}

Argentina

• The opening premier of the show took place on 14 April 2010 at the Centro Cultural Konex Theatre.

The role of Jamie was play by German Tripel (ACE winner for his role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Melania Lenoir as Cathy, who received the nomination for the ACE Awards and HUGO Awards for Musical Theater, as leading actress in a musical. It was directed by Juan Alvarez Prado, Musical Direction Hernan Matorra, produced by DaCapo Producciones, Maria de la Paz Zavaleta, Mariana Mele.^{[citation needed]}

Dublin, Ireland

• The Irish premiere of the show took place on 6 November 2008 at The Pavilion Theatre, in a production starring Ranae Von Meding and A.J. O’Neill. It was directed by Joseph C. Walsh with Musical Direction by David Wray and a design by Shawn Boyle, and produced by Music Theatre Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

Greece

• The production premiered in June 2006 at the theatre of Deree College (American College of Greece), Athens. Musically directed by Nassos Sopilis and Matheson Bayley, and directed by Stratos Sopilis. Christos Alexandrou played the role of Jamie Wellerstein and Anna-Marie Aronis the role of Cathy Hyatt^{[citation needed]}

Mexico

• The production premiered in October 2006 at the Metropolitano Museum, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Luis Arrambide played the role of Jamie Wellerstein and Paloma Cordero the role of Cathy Hyatt. Translated and directed by Jaime Lozano.^{[citation needed]}

Philippines

• The production ran from 29 August to 14 September 2003 in Makati City, Philippines and starred Audie Gemora and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. The show was directed by Bart Guingona.

Canada

• The Roaring Lion Theatre Collective presented the show from September 18 - October 5, 2003 at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Directed by Kendra Fanconi, it starred Matt Palmer and Barbara Tomasic with music direction by Wendy Bross Stuart.

Hungary

• The Last Five Years (Volt öt évünk) opened in Budapest on 5 January 2007 at the Palace of Arts. Cathy was played by Andrea Malek and Jamie was played by Iván Kamarás. The show was directed by György Böhm and it ran for five performances in January, returning for three more in June, 2007. In September, 2007 it moved over to another venue as a repertory piece, for two-three performances a month.

The Netherlands

• Ara Halici and Birgit Schuurman played the parts in the first season (2006–2007) of the Dutch production under its original English title. It was translated by Allard Blom and directed by Maarten Mourik. The second season was played by Birgit Schuurman as Cathy (Sanne) together with Jimmy de Groot as Jamie (Jona) under the Dutch title "5 jaar met jou" (5 years with you).^{[citation needed]}

Belgium (Flanders)

• In 2008 a new producer Judas Theaterproducties brought a Dutch version to Belgium. The translation of Allard Blom was used again, but adapted to Belgian Dutch (Flemish). In this production Cathy (Sanne) was played by Ann Van den Broeck and Jamie (Nathan) by Jan Schepens in a direction of Frank Hoelen.^{[citation needed]}

Austria

• The musical was first performed in Austria at the Vienna Chamber Opera (Kammeroper Wien); opening night was 22 November 2007. Kathy was played by Caroline Frank and Jamie by Rob Fowler. Conductor: Michael Schnack, Director & Choreography: Alonso Barros.

Malaysia

• The Last Five Years ran from 10–20 March 2011 in Pentas 2, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre. It was Directed by Christopher Ling, with Stephen Tok as Musical Director and featured Jon Chew as Jamie & Tabitha Kong as Cathy.

External links

• The Last Five Years at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• New York Times review, March 4, 2002 (requires registration)
• Curtain Up review, March 2002
• MTI shows synopsis and production information
• Flemish production