Overview
Synopsis
Drama Desk award-winner The Last Five Years is Jason Robert Brown’s intimate window into a couple’s doomed marriage. Cathy, a struggling actress, and Jamie, a budding novelist on the brink of wild success, are 20-somethings in New York who meet, fall in love, marry, and divorce over the span of five years. Cathy tells the story from the end of their marriage; Jamie begins from when they first meet. As the musical unfolds, Cathy moves backward in time to the beginning of the relationship as Jamie moves toward the end; they meet only once, in the middle, at their wedding. Since its Off-Broadway premiere in 2002, Brown’s funny, poignant, and devastatingly honest two-person production has enraptured audiences around the world with its spellbinding and emotional score and libretto.
Show Information
- Book
- Jason Robert Brown
- Music
- Jason Robert Brown
- Lyrics
- Jason Robert Brown
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 2001
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Settings
- Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- the present (1997-2001), new york city
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Includes Adult Characters
Context
Inspired by creator Jason Robert Brown’s own failed marriage to actress Theresa O’Neill, The Last Five Years was conceived and written as the composer traveled the country with the national tour of his earlier musical Parade. After its 2001 Chicago premiere, O’Neill sued Brown, claiming that the show was too similar to their actual relationship and violated the terms of their divorce.
Starring Lauren Kennedy as Cathy and Norbert Leo Butz as Jamie, the show meanwhile garnered rave
to read the context for The Last Five Years and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
The show spans the length of five years—the length of Cathy and Jamie's relationship. The story is told from Cathy’s perspective from the end of their marriage, and from Jamie’s when they first meet. As the musical unfolds, Cathy moves backwards in time to the beginning of the relationship as Jamie moves toward the end.
Cathy sits alone, having just read a note from her husband Jamie that their marriage is over and that he wants a divorce. Somewhat bitterly, she ruminates on how much it
to read the plot for The Last Five Years and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
Songs
- "Still Hurting" - Cathy
- "Shiksa Goddess" - Jamie (was "I Could Be in Love With Someone Like You" in the original Chicago production)
- "See I'm Smiling" - Cathy
- "Moving Too Fast" - Jamie
- "I'm A Part of That" - Cathy
- "The Schmuel Song" - Jamie
- "A Summer in Ohio" - Cathy
- "The Next Ten Minutes" - Jamie & Cathy
- "A Miracle Would Happen/When You Come Home to Me" - Jamie/Cathy
- "Climbing Uphill/Audition Sequence" - Cathy
- "If I Didn't Believe in You" - Jamie
- "I Can Do Better Than That" - Cathy
- "Nobody Needs to Know" - Jamie
- "Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You" - Jamie & Cathy
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A piece of writing based on the writer’s own life.
References a singer who sings in a more chest voice dominant manner.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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