Although the set is basic and the cast is small, little else is simple about ""The Last Five Years."" Written by Jason Robert Brown and directed by Andrew Abrams, the musical conveys the five-year relationship of a couple who just can't seem to be in the same place at the same time. The play opens with Cathy, played by Amanda Poulson, singing about the end of her relationship. Alternately, the male lead Jaime (David Niles) sings his first song about how excited he is to have met this great new girl, Cathy.
Poulson and Niles each give strong performances and do remarkably well portraying the wide range of emotions from their characters' love affair. Each song is a complete scene in itself and it is up to the actor to tell that chapter of the story alone. It is challenging for the actors to perform and act realistically as their characters without any other actors to play off of. When one character is singing, the other is usually frozen.
At first it feels awkward to see the actors not interact with each other when they are both onstage. The fact that Cathy's side of the story goes backward as Jaime's story moves forward becomes a bit infuriating, and it is easy to get frustrated with the characters as the plot develops. In the first half of the play, this awkwardness detracts from the story, and as the play moves along it is difficult to truly appreciate either character or to even feel bad for their situation.
The real turning point, however, is halfway through the show, when the two are finally at the same moment in their relationship. Brown does a fantastic job with the lyrics here, making them poignant and instantly capturing the heart of the audience. You see Cathy and Jaime get engaged and they finally kiss and dance onstage. This is the only time the actors interact throughout the entire production, and whatever trouble any audience member was having sympathizing with the characters completely vanishes.
The rest of the show is heartbreaking to watch because it is painfully obvious that nothing will ever work out between Cathy and Jaime. The final song is truly disheartening: Cathy is completely elated with the prospects of her new relationship, while Jaime despairs about the end of their love affair.
""The Last Five Years"" is definitely worth seeing—and the spirit of the music alternates between comical and sincere, keeping the audience interested the entire time. The audience will get a kick out of Nile's humorous portrayal of Jaime, and will enjoy the spirited depiction of Cathy by Poulson. The love of this production from the cast and crew is obvious, and their enthusiasm alone makes seeing this show a worthwhile way to spend an evening.
