The Last Five Years - Lyric Arts

Thanks to Jill from Cherry and Spoon, I was able to take in the opening night of one of my favorite Jason Robert Brown musicals - The Last Five Years. It opened at Lyric Arts in Anoka and plays through Feb 11. If you don't know this show, go see it. If you do know this show, I'm certain that you already have tickets in hand...but if you don't, get them now.

The musical is a wonderful two-hander. The cast is simply Jamie played by Tommy McCarthy, and Cathy played by Lydia Rose Prior. They were both fantastic. Tommy has a great voice that reminded me of Norbert Leo Butz, and really knows how to tell a story through song. Lydia also has a great voice, and an amazing belt. She also made some strong character choices with songs which were marvelous. Honestly, they were both top-notch performers.

The story, if you don't know it, is the story of a five year relationship. Cathy tells her side of the story starting at the end of the relationship, while Jamie tells his side at the start. It is rare to find a theatre piece, especially a musical, that tells one story from two timelines. Betrayal by Harold Pinter is a play that is told backwards in time, Merrily We Roll Along is a Sondheim musical that is told backwards in time, but this is the first that I'm aware of where the two characters are going different directions in telling the one story. That is part of what makes it such an amazing work in my view. Because of this two-way story telling, one way to bring it together is by a very strong directorial concept - which Laura Tahja Johnson provided. 

The two actors walk onstage from opposite sides, during a rainstorm, and almost bump into each other. They recognize each other...and the music begins. From that point on they are on opposite sides of the stage, sharing their experience in this relationship, and they do meet in the middle at one point of the show. However knowing that their journeys are going in opposite time-directions, you know that they will end up on the opposite sides of the stage by the end. The scenic designer Greg Vanselow helps the audience out by having a timeline painted at the front of the stage with 2010 on one side, and 2014 on the other. Each actor in their songs does slowly move through that timeline in their direction. There are some great visuals via projections to provide a specific time and place for each song. I have feelings and thoughts about being so clearcut in the timeline. I think the show is strong enough that an audience will understand what is happening without it being spelled out. However, this is part of the directorial concept and it worked really well. So it is a choice and I fully support it. And listening to audience chatter during the intermission proved the choice was the right choice.

I loved how the very first song was perfectly bookended with the ending of the last song. That was perfection. There were so many great moments through out the show. The middle scene, right before the intermission was gorgeous. It is the one time that Cathy and Jamie share the same space and time. It was wonderfully directed and performed, and is such an incredibly moving song. 

Now....was the entire production perfect in my view? I have three very small issues. There is a front door set piece that gets moved onto stage twice during the show...and each time it is moved on during a song, specifically a quiet part of a song. I found that very distracting, and being that I was near that set piece, the sound of it getting moved on covered some of the music and vocals. As I stated earlier, the top of the show shows the two characters running into each other during a rainstorm. Then they break apart and tell the story of their relationship. The end of the show has them coming back to that moment in the rain, and we see how they depart from each other. Personally I felt that this departure told me who might be at fault for the relationship ending, and what to think of that character. Finally, the whole show is 90 mins long, and I think that is a time frame which any one can easily sit through, and as a performer - can easily perform. I felt the addition of an intermission was unnecessary, and took me out of the emotional connection I was having with the story, the performers, and the music. Did any of those moments ruin the experience for me? NO! It was still a wonderful night watching some great performing, and listening to some fantastic singing and music.

Speaking of music, there was a six-piece band on stage led by Ben Emory Larson. It was incredible to hear this way. I have only seen the show once before when it was done by Nautilus Music Theater years ago, and that performance was supported by just piano, if I recall. The show has been done a number of times here in the Twin Cities - if you search Cherry and Spoon, I know you will find reviews of at least four different productions. So clearly this town loves this show, and being a two-hander, it can be easy to produce. However, doing it with a band of piano, bass, guitar, violin, and two cellos is sheer magic. The sound of this band was fantastic, as were the sound levels. The writing, especially for piano, is not always the easiest with Jason Robert Brown but this performance sounded incredible. So go see the show, enjoy a complex story told through stunning music and singing. You won't be sorry.