“The Last Five Years”: The movie vs. the musical

ACT Theatre, in collaboration with the 5th Avenue Theatre, is putting up a production of “The Last Five Years” musical at ACT Theatre from Feb. 8 to March 16. 

“The Last Five Years” is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. There was also a movie released in 2014 based on this Broadway musical.

The story is told through song and takes place over five years, from the beginning of Jamie and Cathy’s relationship in 2009 to their divorce in 2014. It alternates between Cathy’s and Jamie’s songs. Cathy’s songs begin at the moment she finds out Jamie has left her and move backward in time to the beginning of their relationship. Jamie’s songs start at the point where they first start dating and proceed forward to when he leaves her. The two timelines converge temporarily at their wedding for the duet “The Next Ten Minutes,” and continue past each other for the remainder of the story.

While the movie failed to captivate me until about 30 minutes in, the musical at ACT Theatre captivated me almost immediately. The highlight of the musical at ACT theatre was the quality of their performers–not just the amazing actors but also the orchestra, which seemed to relish every moment of the musical. Despite the sad tone of the performance, there were a few glimpses of humor. Lead actress Cassi Q Kohl shone with her verbal wit, while lead actor Jeffery Wallace beamed with his physical humor. Together, they executed their characters to absolute perfection.

The production peaked in the stage presence of the actors and the orchestra. The audience interaction was also impeccable. It is the hardest to perform when the audience is all around them, but the actors faced this head-on, succeeding with flying colors in every scene, and engaging with the audience even when they had their backs turned. Both actors, Cassi and Jeffrey, were perfect in action, and focused on every little detail–down to the movements of their fingertips.

The musical at ACT Theatre differs from the movie in numerous ways, one of the key differences being the new and bold approach taken by the director, Shermona Mitchell. While the movie presents the story from a broader, third-person perspective, this production focuses on the impact on a more personal level, diving into the depths of each emotion faced by the characters. The actors treated the audience not simply as viewers, but as part of the story with the intimate level of interaction they had.

Another factor I’d like to highlight is that in the movie, the story was told with the help of a lot of sets and props, whereas in this production, there were limited props and costumes. Still, the actors beautifully conveyed the essence and atmosphere of each scene. Through the beautiful performances of the actors and the director’s unique vision, the viewers could easily witness and differentiate the house setting from the bar,  library, etc., even with limited props. The hidden intention of the director was to portray that, in reality, the characters never met eye to eye, and this production displayed that hidden reality flawlessly.

The highlight of the musical production at ACT was the song “The Next Ten Minutes,” as it gave into the unsaid romantic demand of the audience. The song stood out as a pivotal moment when the characters finally united, as every second before and after this song powerfully signified the feeling of being close together, whilst being miles apart.

With all that being said, a very important thing to keep in mind is that this production is for the lovers and admirers of “The Last Five Years.”  If you walk in with no knowledge of the musical, chances are you will be extremely confused and not be able to understand what is going on. Whereas, for fans of the film and story, this production will immerse you into the deepest emotions and feelings of each character, offering a level of emotional depth that the movie could never quite capture. 

I would recommend that you watch this production, but would also suggest that you brush up on your “The Last Five Years” knowledge before you walk in. However, if you choose to walk in with no prior knowledge, you will still feel that this production was a beautiful, emotionally filled bedlam. 

The production ended with a perfect full-circle moment and a well-deserved standing ovation. The production made the audience experience a wide range of emotions–from, “aww,” to “oh no!” as well as from happy to sad enough to make you cry. To quote Cathy Hiatt, “I think you’re really going to like this show.” I most certainly did, and I know you will too!