Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review -The Last Five Years

Is there any more “cabaret” a musical in the modern cannon than The Last Five Years? The show is basically a song cycle of alternating solos for a man and a woman telling the story of a turbulent relationship between successful writer Jamie and failing actress Cathy. The gimmick of the show is that Jamie’s songs go chronologically forward, while Cathy’s songs go progressively back in time.

Each song in the show tells a satisfying story. As such, a couple of Last Five Years songs, such as “I Can Do Better Than That” and “I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You” (cut from the show) have been well-heard in cabarets.

There are two issues that any production of the show needs to cope with. Brown’s writing does not obviously explain the timeline of the story. Aaron Posner’s direction uses about every opportunity possible to elucidate the gimmick (short of time-stamping the scenes). However, my theatergoing companion, who was encountering the show for the first time, was surprised afterward when I explained the timeline.

The other issue the show has is balancing the audience’s affection for the two characters. Erin Weaver sang the part of Cathy perfectly well and was fine at any given moment of the play. But she could not overcome the first impression we have of the character, who we meet when she is grieving and bitter about the end of her relationship. (As a reminder, this is why we generally don’t open a cabaret act with a big torch number.)

On the other hand, James Gardner is a performer with incredible charisma and charm. He also had very inventive moments that I’ve never seen in others playing this role, such as an air guitar solo in “Moving Too Fast,” and a clock hands gesture in “The Schmuel Song.” Because the character never got to a place where we could understand why Cathy would become disenchanted with him, it caused her to be more unsympathetic than she should be.

The production was staged in the larger performance space at Signature. The set, a bedroom strewn with packing boxes, all under a tornado swirl of clocks and manuscript pages, provided a great playing space for the story. The combination of cast charisma, savvy direction, and the flexibility of the material ensured that the show did not seem too small for the hall and provided a very satisfying 90 minutes.

(Erin Weaver and James Gardiner; Photo: Teresa Wood.)

Michael Miyazaki
Cabaret Scenes
April 6, 2013
www.cabaretscenes.org



	The Last Five Years Signature Theater Arlington, VA
Is there any more “cabaret” a musical in the modern cannon than The Last Five Years? The show is basically a song cycle of alternating solos for a man and a woman telling the story of a turbulent relationship between successful writer Jamie and failing actress Cathy. The gimmick of the show is that Jamie’s songs go chronologically forward, while Cathy’s songs go progressively back in time. Each song in the show tells a satisfying story. As such, a couple of Last Five Years songs, such as “I Can Do Better Than That” and “I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You” (cut from the show) have been well-heard in cabarets. There are two issues that any production of the show needs to cope with. Brown’s writing does not obviously explain the timeline of the story. Aaron Posner’s direction uses about every opportunity possible to elucidate the gimmick (short of time-stamping the scenes). However, my theatergoing companion, who was encountering the show for the first time, was surprised afterward when I explained the timeline. The other issue the show has is balancing the audience’s affection for the two characters. Erin Weaver sang the part of Cathy perfectly well and was fine at any given moment of the play. But she could not overcome the first impression we have of the character, who we meet when she is grieving and bitter about the end of her relationship. (As a reminder, this is why we generally don’t open a cabaret act with a big torch number.) On the other hand, James Gardner is a performer with incredible charisma and charm. He also had very inventive moments that I’ve never seen in others playing this role, such as an air guitar solo in “Moving Too Fast,” and a clock hands gesture in “The Schmuel Song.” Because the character never got to a place where we could understand why Cathy would become disenchanted with him, it caused her to be more unsympathetic than she should be. The production was staged in the larger performance space at Signature. The set, a bedroom strewn with packing boxes, all under a tornado swirl of clocks and manuscript pages, provided a great playing space for the story. The combination of cast charisma, savvy direction, and the flexibility of the material ensured that the show did not seem too small for the hall and provided a very satisfying 90 minutes. (Erin Weaver and James Gardiner; Photo: Teresa Wood.) Michael Miyazaki Cabaret Scenes April 6, 2013 www.cabaretscenes.org

The Last Five Years

Signature TheaterArlington, VA

Signature Theater
Arlington, VA