The Last Five Years

Last updated

The Last Five Years
The Last Five Years Playbill.jpeg
Original Off-Broadway playbill
Music Jason Robert Brown
LyricsJason Robert Brown
Book Jason Robert Brown
PremiereMay 23, 2001: Northlight Theatre
Productions2001 Chicago
2002 Off-Broadway
2013 Off-Broadway revival
2015 Ireland
2016 Off-West End
2021 West End
Awards Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music

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.

Contents

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 Jamie's story is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple have first met) and Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect.

In 2014, a film adaptation directed by Richard LaGravenese starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan was released.

Background

The Last Five Years was inspired by Brown's failed marriage to Theresa O'Neill. O'Neill sued Brown on the grounds that the story of the musical violated non-disparagement and non-disclosure agreements within their divorce decree by representing her relationship with Brown too closely. Brown, in turn, sued O’Neill for interfering with his creative work and his creative process. As part of the legal settlement for both suits, Brown removed all references to the character being Irish Catholic, and 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] [3]

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 but not together. 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 second 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").

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 a role ("When You Come Home to Me"). She is getting down about the rejection she faces as an actress and complains to Jamie ("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

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"The Next Ten Minutes"
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.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The musical style draws on a number of musical genres, including pop, jazz, classical, Klezmer, Latin, Blues, Rock, and Folk. The orchestration consists of piano, acoustic guitar, fretless bass, two cellos, one doubling on celesta and tubular bell, and violin, doubling cymbal. [4]

Cast album

The Last Five Years cast album was released by Sh-K-Boom Records in April 2002. [5]

Original casts

CharacterChicago
(2001) [6] 		Off-Broadway
(2002) [3] 		Off-Broadway
(2013) [7] 		Benefit Concert
(2016)		Off-West End
(2016) [8] 		West End

(2021)

Jamie Wellerstein Norbert Leo Butz Adam Kantor Joshua Henry Jonathan Bailey Oli Higginson
Cathy Hiatt Lauren Kennedy Sherie Rene Scott Betsy Wolfe Cynthia Erivo Samantha Barks Molly Lynch

Production history

Chicago (2001)

The show debuted at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Illinois, in 2001, running from May 23 – July 1. The production starred Lauren Kennedy as Cathy and Norbert Leo Butz as Jamie. [6]

Off-Broadway (2002)

The show opened Off-Broadway at the Minetta Theatre on March 2, 2002, and closed May 5, 2002, directed by Daisy Prince, with Butz again starring alongside Sherie Rene Scott. [9] (Kennedy was unable to reprise her role due to taking a role in South Pacific in London. [10] ) 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. [11] 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.

Off-Broadway revival (2013)

The show was revived in 2013 Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theater for a limited engagement with Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe in the roles of Jamie and Cathy, respectively. Brown himself directed. [12] In March 2015, Kantor and Wolfe reprised their roles in a two-night-only concert production of the show at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. [13]

Off-West End (2016)

Jonathan Bailey at Testament of Youth Premiere in October 2014 2.png
Samantha Barks.png
Jonathan Bailey and Samantha Barks headlined the acclaimed Off-West End revival of the musical directed by Jason Robert Brown in 2016.

The 2016 production was headlined by Jonathan Bailey as Jamie and Samantha Barks as Cathy at St. James Theatre, with direction by Brown himself. [8] [14] The Stage 's Mark Shenton called the production "poignant" turning "each song into a masterclass of storytelling" with Bailey "a real vocal surprise with his haunting renditions of 'If I Didn’t Believe in You' and 'Nobody Needs to Know'." [15] Edward Seckerson of The Arts Desk called the production a "knockout" and a "two-handed tour-de-force" in his five-star review. [16]

It won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production in 2017. [17] A video of Bailey's audition singing "If I Didn't Believe In You" was uploaded on YouTube in 2017, and has since gone viral. [18]

Other productions

Film adaptation

An adaptation starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan was directed by P.S. I Love You director Richard LaGravenese. [39] The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and had a limited release in theatres in 2015. It received mixed to positive reviews; the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 60% approval rating.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Robert Brown</span> American songwriter

Jason Robert Brown is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on Parade and The Bridges of Madison County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Stroman</span> American theatre director

Susan P. Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include Oklahoma!, The Music Man, Crazy for You, Contact, The Producers, The Frogs, The Scottsboro Boys, Bullets Over Broadway, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, and New York, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norbert Leo Butz</span> American actor and singer

Norbert Leo Butz is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and is one of only nine actors ever to have won the award twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherie Rene Scott</span> American actress, singer, playwright (b. 1967)

Sherie Rene Scott is an American actor, singer, writer and producer. She has been seen in multiple Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals, on numerous solo and original cast recordings, and in various film and television roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie J. Block</span> American actress and singer (born 1972)

Stephanie Janette Block is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.

<i>Dirty Rotten Scoundrels</i> (musical) 2004 musical

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a 2004 musical comedy, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane; it is based on the 1988 film of the same name. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2005 and ran for 626 performances despite mixed reviews. It has since received tours and international productions. The Australian production opened in 2013 to rave reviews and was called the "best musical to hit Sydney this century" by The Sydney Morning Herald. A West End production opened in 2014 to generally warm reviews.

David Norman Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty (2000), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010), The Band's Visit (2017), and Tootsie (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerry Butler</span> American actress and singer

Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theater. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, and Clio/Kira in Xanadu, the latter of which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli O'Hara</span> American actress and singer (born 1976)

Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.

<i>Next to Normal</i> Broadway musical

Next to Normal is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. The musical addresses grief, depression, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and the underbelly of suburban life.

Amanda Green is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history.

<i>13</i> (musical) Musical by Jason Robert Brown, Dan Elish, and Robert Horn

13 is a musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Kennedy</span> American actress

Lauren Kennedy is an American actress and singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She is now the producing artistic director of Theatre Raleigh in her home state of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Pearce</span> American actress and singer (born 1991)

Lindsay Heather Pearce is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theatre. She made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked in February 2020 and later made her national tour debut as Janis Sarkisian in Mean Girls in May 2022. Other regional theatre credits include Wendla in Spring Awakening, Ivy in Bare: A Pop Opera, and Whatsername in American Idiot.

<i>The Last Five Years</i> (film) 2014 musical film directed by Richard LaGravenese

The Last Five Years is a 2014 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Based on Jason Robert Brown's musical of the same name, the film stars Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan as married couple Cathy Hiatt and Jamie Wellerstein.

<i>Big Fish</i> (musical) 2013 Broadway musical

Big Fish is a musical with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by John August. It is based on Daniel Wallace's 1998 novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, and the 2003 film Big Fish written by John August and directed by Tim Burton.

<i>The Bridges of Madison County</i> (musical) 2004 American musical

The Bridges of Madison County is a musical, based on Robert James Waller's 1992 novel, with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on February 20, 2014, and closed on May 18, 2014. The Broadway production was directed by Bartlett Sher and starred Kelli O'Hara as Francesca and Steven Pasquale as Robert. Brown's work on the musical won the 2014 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations after the Broadway production had already closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Erivo</span> English actress and singer (born 1987)

Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer. She gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Erivo ventured into films in 2018, playing roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. For her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet (2019), Erivo received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she also wrote and performed the song "Stand Up" on its soundtrack, which garnered her a nomination in the Best Original Song category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Wolfe</span> American actress and singer (born 1982)

Betsy Wolfe is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Moss</span> British writer-director-composer

Lucy Amelia Nancy Moss is a British writer, director, and composer best known for co-creating the hit musical Six with Toby Marlow. As director of most Six productions, Moss became the youngest ever female director of a Broadway musical at 26.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Jason Robert (May 22, 2012). "The Schmuel Song". Jason Robert Brown. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ Vogel, Scott (June 17, 2005). "Young Composer's Wonder "Years"". Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Riedel, Michael (March 6, 2002). "'Last Five Years' a Musical Marriage-Go-Round". New York Post.
  4. ↑ MTI Shows song list MTI shows
  5. ↑ "The Last Five Years Original Off-Broadway Cast". Cast Albums. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  6. 1 2 Jones, Kenneth (May 23, 2001). "Marriage Dissected: Brown's Musical, Last Five Years, Opening May 23 in IL". Playbill. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Gans, Andrew (June 7, 2013). "Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's Edges Will Make Paris Debuts for Limited Engagement". Playbill.
  8. 1 2 "First Look at Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey in The Last Five Years". Playbill. November 1, 2016.
  9. ↑ Brantley, Ben (March 4, 2002). "THEATER REVIEW; Novelist and an Actress Sharing a Leaky Boat". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ Frank, Jonathan. "Talkin' Broadway - Sound Advice: 4/16/03". Talkinbroadway.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ Jones, Kenneth; Simonson, Robert (May 20, 2002). "Drama Desk Awards Announced; Goat, Metamorphoses Tie for Best Play, Millie Scores". Playbill. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  12. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (May 30, 2012). "Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years Will Get Off-Broadway Revival at Second Stage". Playbill. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor Reprise Roles in THE LAST FIVE YEARS, Beginning Tonight at A.C.T". BroadwayWorld. March 27, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Theatre flashbacks: Jonathan Bailey and Samantha Barks in The Last Five Years | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. January 29, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ Shenton, Mark (November 2, 2016). "The Last Five Years review, St James Theatre, London, 2016". The Stage. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  16. ↑ "The Last Five Years, St James Theatre". theartsdesk.com. November 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "The WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production goes to The Last Five Years". Twitter. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  18. ↑ Levine, Nick (March 11, 2022). "10 Things You Never Knew About Bridgerton Actor Jonathan Bailey | Anglophenia | BBC America". BBC America. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ Juul, Thomas (March 9, 2012). "Når musical kan mærkes | frdb.dk". frdb.dk (in Danish). Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  20. ↑ Pirolli, Bryan (July 22, 2015). "The Last 5 Years". TimeOut Paris.
  21. ↑ "The Last 5 Years". Det Ny Teater (in Danish). Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  22. ↑ "The Last Five Years – Lyric Theatre, Belfast". Musical Theatre Review. July 1, 2015.
  23. ↑ Stolt, Annette (April 13, 2018). "BWW Review: THE LAST 5 YEARS at TeaterStudio Lederman". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  24. ↑ ""The Last Five Years" ganha versão brasileira com Beto Sargentelli e Eline Porto". CenaMusical (in Portuguese). April 13, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  25. ↑ ""OS ÚLTIMOS 5 ANOS" RETORNA AOS PALCOS DE SÃO PAULO EM CURTÍSSIMA TEMPORADA". MundoDosMusicais (in Portuguese). July 16, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  26. 1 2 ""Os Últimos 5 Anos" retorna a São Paulo após duas temporadas de sucesso". AbroadwayEAqui (in Portuguese). July 23, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  27. ↑ Meyer, Dan (September 14, 2020). "The Last Five Years Announces Additional Dates at Southwark Playhouse in London". Playbill.
  28. ↑ Fierberg, Ruthie (September 13, 2016). "What Happened at Last Night's Last Five Years Concert?". Playbill.
  29. ↑ Lowen, Linda (June 2, 2019). "'Last Five Years' at Syracuse Stage a unique, gorgeous and innovative production (Review)". Syracuse Post-Standard.
  30. ↑ Clarendon, Emma (October 8, 2020). "Review Round Up: The Last Five Years, Southwark Playhouse". Love London Love Culture. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  31. ↑ "THE LAST FIVE YEARS – An extended run at The Garrick Theatre". LondonBoxOffice.co.uk. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  32. ↑ "The Last Five Years". LondonBoxOffice.co.uk. June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  33. ↑ "The Last 5 Years". Out of The Box Theatrics. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  34. ↑ Moynihan, Caitlin (May 24, 2021). "Watch Original The Last Five Years Stars Norbert Leo Butz & Lauren Kennedy Reunite (and Sing!) for the Musical's 20th Anniversary". Broadway.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Opera Factory Freiburg | The Last Five Years | E-WERK" (in German). Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  36. ↑ u.a, Michael Rieper, Claudia Leonhardt. "musicalzentrale - The Last Five Years - E-Werk Freiburg im Breisgau". musicalzentrale.de. Retrieved October 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ↑ "'The Last Five Years' to be Staged this September". theaterfansmanila.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  38. ↑ https://www.kapitiplayhouse.org.nz/events/event/the-last-five-years
  39. ↑ Gioia, Michael. "Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick Will Explore The Last Five Years On Screen in Richard LaGravenese Adaptation" . Retrieved November 26, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.