4/5 stars
A musical with only two characters, no dialogue, focussing on the traumatic relationship of a young american couple. Not exactly my cup of tea, but after MT’s glorious production of The Last 5 Years I can say I’d be very happy to start drinking a more musical infusion. Written by Jason Robert Brown, The Last 5 Years is one of those rare gems; a show that actually has the right ingredients: great music, an accessible storyline, tangible characters and, thankfully, none of the ridiculous jazz-handed Colgate-white grinning chorus numbers of many other musicals which, if I’m brutally honest, make me a little sick.
The show follows the five year relationship of Cathy, a struggling actress, and Jamie, an up and coming writer. However the twist is that Cathy’s story is told in reverse, starting with their divorce, whereas Jamie’s begins just after the couple first meet. Each scenario playing out by solos seems a heavy weight for two actors to bear, but director Max Bruges did a fine job in his casting. Emma Streets (Cathy) and Josh Hughes (Jamie) were not only aesthetically believable as a couple and their respective stereotypes of beautiful struggling actress and suave young writer, but performed their parts with a comforting ease and maturity. Streets in particular portrayed Cathy with a charisma that allowed us to see every inch of her character and provided a steamroller of emotions. Her solo ‘I’m a Part of That’ was moving and full of raw sensitivity, yet she reduced most of the audience to tears of laughter during ‘Climbing Uphill’, a song in which she depicts her struggles at auditions. A truly multi-faceted performance such as this is rare, and in my humble opinion if Streets does not go on to pursue a career in musical theatre then there is an injustice in the world. Hughes gave an equally excellent performance, though his vocal ability didn’t quite match up. Some of the bigger notes in his songs seemed a little too much for him, though his voice was fantastic and he had a beautiful falsetto. His acting, however, was first class. His rendition of ‘The Schmuel Song’ began as a simply comic performance but ended with him lovingly and earnestly telling Cathy “you get to be happy”, prompting every female in the audience to sigh with jealously.
My only criticisms would be that many of the production elements were a little unfinished. Cathy’s costumes seemed confused and I felt they didn’t fit with the character. Though the bed proved itself at the end by becoming a nice metaphor for the couple’s crippled relationship, it jarred against the lack of further specific scenery. Moreover, the use of a stage hand to bring on a mere three props was totally unnecessary and distracted from the piece’s intimate feel. Thankfully, these errors were rendered almost forgettable by the show’s powerful final scene. The bed lay just as it had at the start, with Jamie’s farewell note and wedding ring. But now the sheets were messy and crumpled; reminders of the scenes witnessed and symbols of the broken relationship. Coupled with Jamie, cold, removed and leaving with his suitcase and Cathy, animated after their first date, made for a hugely overwhelming and moving end to the show. If it were possible, I would give The Last Five Years a solid 4 ½ star rating, however my editor has forbidden such a luxury. All I can do, then, is give the show 4 stars and throughly congratulate MT on a wonderful production.
Rose Collard