Looking Forward and Back, This Musical Sees a Relationship Unfold
Two casts animate this narrative told two ways in The Last Five Years, a co-production from The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Contemporary Theatre. It runs through 3/16 in Downtown Seattle.
Mazel tov and God bless to any actors who look to tackle The Last Five Years, the non-linear, almost dialogue-free vocal marathon of a musical from writer/composer Jason Robert Brown: this thing’s a beast. The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Contemporary Theatre’s co-production of the piece, in what can only be seen as an act of mercy, double cast the two lead (and only) roles, splitting performances between the two pairs. And honestly, it seems oddly appropriate for a show that splits the narrative to then split the performances as well, though it does mean I can only speak to the performances I saw. If the pair I saw was any indication, the show is in good hands.
The show’s structure is a conceit that, without the gritty, human element at the show’s center, might almost feel too clever by half, stealing focus from the plot: we’re seeing a relationship simultaneously from start to finish, frontways from husband Jamie’s perspective (played by Coleman Cummings at the performance I saw) perspective, and backwards from wife Cathy (Keola Kapulani Holt)’s. The two run on parallel lines throughout, only intersecting once. Jamie, a young, gifted novelist, seems to be living a charmed life both personally and professionally as we enter his side of things: he’s fallen for his personal “shiksa goddess,” Cathy, and his first novel’s a smash success. But the pressure of too much success, too young, coupled with Cathy’s less-than-stellar career trajectory as an actress, puts the pair at odds.
Cathy, meanwhile, opens the show at the end of the relationship, moving from desolation backwards to the hope and optimism the two shared when they first met as the audience is left to ponder whether the pair should ever have been together at all.
Based at least in part on the collapse of his own tempestuous first marriage, Brown is perhaps surprisingly willing to make the male protagonist of the piece the bad guy. As the show’s aged, I think there’s a tendency for directors and actors to try and spread the blame around a bit more for the relationship’s implosion, to implicate Cathy more, which I don’t believe is in the text unless you’re really looking for it. There’s a touch of that coloring Cummings’ performance, a sense perhaps encouraged by director Shermona Mitchell, that Jamie’s more hapless than hateful, a victim of his early successes in love and in his career, which softens the character’s edges and seems to want to excuse his bad behavior. But whether your mileage varies on that interpretation or not, Cummings is undeniably charming in the role, bringing a nervous, bashful physicality to the character and a beautiful belting voice, though some of the lower notes throughout the piece seemed to be a bit of a struggle at times. They’re heartbreakingly sincere in the show’s only duet, “The Next Ten Minutes,” where his chemistry with his co-star finally gets a chance to shine, and convincingly at his wit’s end by his final solo song, the wrenching “Nobody Needs to Know.”
Holt is fantastic throughout the piece, both as an actor and a singer. Her Cathy starts more in shock than in anger, and it’s a fascinating counterpoint to watch her move from disillusionment to the hope and optimism of her younger self. It’s actually hard to pick a standout number, but it’s probably between the bravura performance of the musical’s opening number, “Still Hurting,” and the bittersweet “A Part of That,” a melancholy look at where Cathy fits into Jamie’s creative process and how her ambitions take a back seat to his.
My only major beef with the production is with the decision to have the orchestra on stage with the actors, tucked to the sides in a series of little pods. While it allows for some funny interactions with the actors — particularly between Cathy and the pianist, music director RJ Tancioco — and the musicians (Tancioco, Michael Nutting, Kimberly Harrenstein, Grant Olson, Virginia Dziekonski, Anthony Pooley, and Olivia Hamilton) are uniformly excellent, it sometimes overwhelms the vocals through sheer proximity.
A lovely rendition of a new classic, full of powerhouse vocals, this co-production of The Last Five Years will make you feel sad in all the right ways.
The Last Five Years runs through 3/16 at ACT Contemporary Theatre (a co-production with The 5th Avenue Theatre) in Downtown Seattle. Tickets here. Accessibility notes: restrooms are gender-neutral and multi-stall. Theatre and common areas are wheelchair accessible. ASL interpreted and audio described performance on 2/22 (matinee).
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Jill Farrington Sweeney is a Texas ex-pat getting to know the Seattle-area arts scene, and is perpetually on the hunt for good Mexican food. Her writing has appeared on TheaterJones, Onstage NTX, and NWTheatre.