The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years
File:The Last Five Years CD Cover.jpg 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

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 travels backwards in time (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie travels forwards (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their time-lines intersect.

The Last Five Years was inspired by Brown's failed marriage to Theresa O'Neill. O'Neill threatened legal action on the grounds that 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 in her apartment as her marriage to Jamie has ended, and he has just moved out ("Still Hurting"). When the song finishes, Jamie appears. It is five years earlier and he is on their first date. We learn that Jamie is Jewish and Cathy is not. Despite this, Jamie is completely smitten with his "Shiksa Goddess".

The scene then switches to Cathy sitting on a pier in Ohio with Jamie, who has come to visit her for her birthday while she does summer stock theatre ("See I'm Smiling"). It is clear that she is not happy about spending her time away from Jamie and is enthusiastic about fixing their marriage. She becomes very angry when Jamie announces that he has to return to New York. They argue, and Cathy claims that he spends all of his time thinking only of himself, singing "you and you and nothing but you". During interludes in the music, Jamie, several years earlier, talks to a literary agent about the book he has just written. His future looks promising.

The play moves away from their argument, and Jamie tells a friend that he is moving in with Cathy. Everything seems to be going right for him; his book is being published and the Atlantic Monthly is printing the first chapter. Even though his work and his relationship with Cathy seem to have taken on lives of their own, he's too happy to get worried ("Moving Too Fast"). Cathy, meanwhile, is making a call to her agent. Though we only hear her side of the conversation, it is obvious that she is struggling with her career.

Cathy sits at Jamie's book signing party. She sings about her life with him, asserting that even though he often obsesses over his writing and ignores her, she is terribly in love with him ("A Part of That"). Cathy confesses that she does not act independently anymore, but instead follows in his footsteps.

Jamie celebrates his first Christmas with Cathy. He tells her a fable (which he has written, "new and unpublished") about an old tailor named Schmuel whose encounter with a magical clock gives him infinite time to realize the dress of his dreams. Jamie reveals the parallel between Schmuel and Cathy: she needs to take the time to "unlock" her dreams. He presents Cathy with her Christmas present: a watch ("The Schmuel Song").

Template:Sample box end Cathy sits in Ohio and writes a letter to Jamie. They have just been married and she is missing him dreadfully. She describes to Jamie her quirky life in Ohio among her eccentric cast members ("A Summer in Ohio").

Jamie is sitting with Cathy in a boat on the lake in Central Park. He proposes. Cathy enters and Jamie presents her with the engagement ring and, for the first and only time in the musical, they sing together ("The Next Ten Minutes"). They exchange vows and rings, promising to stay together "for the next ten lifetimes." They kiss before Jamie escorts Cathy to the rowboat, where she has the other side of the conversation that Jamie had before her arrival. Jamie watches her go.

The newlywed Jamie is facing some temptation issues. He feels like he is constantly bombarded by attractive women, especially since his writing career has taken off ("A Miracle Would Happen"). Cathy, meanwhile, embarks on a series of auditions for the job in Ohio ("When You Come Home to Me"). She is frustrated with the audition process and discusses her sense of inadequacy with her father ("Climbing Uphill").

Jamie, on the phone with Cathy, does his best to convince his wife that his relationship with his editor, Elise, is purely platonic. Cathy doesn't believe him. Jamie wants to celebrate a book review by John Updike in The New Yorker, but Cathy isn't in the mood to go out. She sings passionately about her desire to be independent, refusing to "trot along at the genius's heels."

Jamie is reading an excerpt of his book. It is obviously about his relationship with Cathy. In the next scene, Jamie is fighting passionately with Cathy. It is toward the end of their relationship and he is trying desperately to just get her to listen to him. He wonders aloud if they will ever get to the point where things are easy, where there aren't so many obstacles facing their marriage. 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 unconditionally, and that if he didn't he wouldn't love her ("If I Didn't Believe in You").

Some time into the relationship, Cathy drives Jamie to her parents' house in the suburbs. As she drives, she babbles happily about her past relationships and her desire not to end up in the same small town life as her best friend from high school: married with children and living in "a little cute house on a little cute street with a crucifix on the door" ("I Can Do Better Than That"). At the climax of the song, she asks Jamie to move in with her.

Towards the end of the marriage, Jamie wakes up in the apartment beside a woman who may or may not be his editor, Elise ("Nobody Needs to Know"). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy (who is away in Ohio) for destroying his privacy and their "perfectly balanced" relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to this woman and tells her, just as he told Cathy in "Shiksa Goddess", that "I could be in love with someone like you."

Cathy is at the end of her first date with Jamie. She sings goodbye to him ("Goodbye Until Tomorrow"). She proclaims that she has been waiting for Jamie her whole life and is ready for this romance. Simultaneously but five years forward, Jamie sits in their shared apartment writing a farewell note ("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, bass, two cellos, and a 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)
• "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 nomination for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Actor, and the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical.

Other U.S. productions

• The Labyrinth Theatre, Dallas, Texas production premiered February 8, 2007; Cathy was played by Kimberly Whalen and Jamie was played by Theo Wischhusen. Stephanie Wulfe-Epstein was director, Tim Hyman was musical director. The show was also produced the same year by Flower Mound Performing Arts Theater featuring Joshua Doss as Jamie and Stephanie Riggs as Cathy. The show was directed by Stephanie Riggs with music direction by Mark Mullino.

• The Everyman Theatre, Baltimore, Maryland, presented the show from September 9 - October 16, 2005, with direction by Vincent M. Lancisi and starring Josh Davis and Betsy Morgan.

• The Vagabond Theater, Baltimore production ran from October 26 through November 25, 2007. Directed by Bill Kamberger, Cathy was played by Julia Lancione, Jamie was played by Randy Dunkle.

• The Masquers Playhouse, Point Richmond, California, produced the show from March 27 - May 2, 2009. Directed by Daren A.C. Carollo, it starred Jennifer Ekman as Cathy and Danny Cozart as Jamie. .

• Organic Theater Factory, Fresno, California, production ran November 19-27, 2009, and was directed by Danielle Jorn.

• The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, Clinton, Iowa production ran June 4, 2009, through June 14, featuring Nicole Horton as Cathy, Joshua Sohn as Jamie, and directed by Patrick Stinson.

• Andrew D. Gruden and William A. Mentz independently produced The Last Five Years December 28 - 30, 2007 at The Northeast Theater, Scranton, Pennsylvania, featuring Andrew Gruden as Jamie and Erin Canedy as Cathy. Gruden is slated to star as Jamie again in Pittsburgh sometime in early 2010 alongside Libby Fransden Jones.

International productions

UK

• A new production in London will be staged from 11 - 12 January 2010 at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Produced by Fernando Pinho and directed by Christian Burgess, this collaborative production features Lily James, Freddie Fox and five musicians led by MD Gemma Hawkins.

• 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.

• A production of the show previewed at the Apollo Theatre in the West End on 3 August 2007 before playing a limited run from 20 August 2007 to 27 August 2007 at the Pleasance Theatre as part of the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The cast included Nadim Naaman and Hannah Wilding and was produced by Echo Theatrical Productions.

• Three performances starring Julie Atherton and Paul Spicer were performed at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket in October 2008 as part of the Notes from New York series.

• A new production was staged in the West Midlands on the 25 July 2009, starring Josh Dowen as Jamie and Kellie Humphrey as Cathy. The production is at the Arena Theatre.

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.

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.

Brisbane, Australia

• The Queensland premiere production opened on 9 May 2007 in Brisbane, Australia and starred Luke Kennedy and Naomi Price. It was directed by Tim O'Connor, music directed by Dale Lingwood and designed by Josh McIntosh. It was produced by Oscar Theatre Company for The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

Melbourne, Australia

• The "Melbourne Music Theatre" production ran from 31 August to 17 September 2006 at Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran, in Melbourne, Australia and starred Matt Hetherington and Laura Fitzpatrick. Directed by Peter Fitzpatrick and musical direction by Vicky Jacobs.

Perth, Australia

• The yellow glass theatre inc production ran from 5 November to 8 November 2008 at Subiaco Arts Centre, Subiaco, in Perth, Australia and starred Mitchell Goode and Hayley Binks. Directed by Chris Kabay and musical direction by Simon Holt.

Greece

• The production premiered in June 2006 at the Amerikaniko Kollegio, Athens. Musical Director Nassos Sopilis, Director Stratos Sopilis. Christos Alexandrou played the role of Jamie Wellerstein and Anna-Marie Aronis the role of Cathy Hyatt

Mexico

• The production premiered in October 2006 at the Metropolitano Museum, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Luis Arrambide played the role of Jamie Wellerstein and Paloma Cordero the role of Cathy Hyatt. Translated and directed by Jaime Lozano.

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.

• The Western Canada Theatre's production ran from 22 February to 3 March 2007 in Kamloops, British Columbia, at the Sagebrush Theatre. Neil Minor played Jamie and Meghan Gardiner played Cathy. Directed By David Ross, musical direction by Courtenay Ennis.

• In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Summer Players presented the show at Castle Theatre in Aden Bowman Collegiate from October 2—October 6, 2007. Cathy was played by Robin Burlingham, Jamie by Blake Cumming, the director was Joel Swaan.

• In Toronto, Ontario, Footpath Productions presented the show at Bread and Circus Theatre Bar in Kensington Market from May 21 to May 31, 2008. Karita Mullins played Cathy and Scott Pietrangelo played Jamie. The show was directed by Jenny Salisbury.

• In London, Ontario, The Grand Theatre presented the show from January 19 to February 6, 2010. Julie Martell played Cathy and Mark Uhre played Jamie. Directed by Vikki Anderson. Musical Director - Ryan deSouza.

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).

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.

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.

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