Interview: Hunter Minor And Melanie Sierra of THE LAST FIVE YEARS at At Riffe Center Studio Two

Before each practice for the Contemporary Theater of Ohio’s production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, actors Hunter Minor and Melanie Sierra have a ritual they go through. According to Minor, the two embrace and check in with each other emotionally.

Then they go through the process of getting divorced from each other.

The two need that poignant connection before beginning the journey of Jamie and Kathy, the doomed couple of Jason Robert Brown’s two-person musical, which will run April 24-May 11 at the Riffe Center’s Studio Two (77 S. High Street in downtown Columbus).

“There’s the emotional aspect of the show that’s so challenging because it’s a break-up, a divorce,” Sierra said. “It’s very heavy and it’s not necessarily what you might call uplifting. (Throughout the course of the play) you’re playing into that and playing against it. Trying to find that balance is a challenge.”

“We’ve been spending a lot of energy trying to play it quite truthfully,” Minor added. “There’s at least one line that either Jamie or Kathy says that everyone can relate to. I've been with my fiancée for eight years now but we've had so many of these questions and difficulties, of not saying the right thing at the right time. I’m hoping our audience sees we’re all flawed and although these two didn’t get it (the relationship) right, they wanted the relationship to work. The pursuit of trying to get it right is worth fighting for.”

THE LAST FIVE YEARS presents an interesting challenge for those who attempt it. It is, at its essence, a story of two people told in two different directions. Cathy’s story goes in reverse chronological order, starting at the end of the relationship and working her way back to the beginning. Jamie’s story follows the traditional plot arc, starting at the beginning of the relationship and working his way to the end.

Although each song is essentially about their relationship, Minor and Sierra alternate their time in the spotlight and only share the stage together for one song, “The Next Ten Minutes.”

“When I have seen it, it’s like alternating solos and it’s quite an odd experience,” Minor said. “But this doesn’t feel that way … because of the way (director Lenny Leibowitz) has it set up. The three member orchestra are on the stage with us and Melanie is on stage more than I’ve ever seen it before. He keeps using the phrase, ‘the attic of the mind.’ When I am singing, she’s on stage as sort of a memory of the moment.”

“It’s been fun to explore,” Sierra said. “Generally acting is all about partnering. (When you share the stage), you’re responding to the other person’s energy. I know this sounds a little out there but with this staging, you have the energy of another person, even though you’re not directly looking at them.”

Both Minor and Sierra are coming into the play from different places. Minor relishes another chance to perform in a Contemporary Theater of Ohio production, having played Don Price in the troupe’s production of BIG FISH last September.

“I've been auditioning for the Contemporary for a couple years now,” the Columbus native said. “I see a couple of their shows every season and I’ve always been impressed with the quality of their work. This year, I’ve been lucky to be in two of them.

“Going into it, I was nervous, especially when you have tenors like Nick Jonas and Jeremy Jordan having played this role (in the past). Jamie so badly wants to escape what his family wants him to have and he’s finally found this person he's dreamed of for years and wants to do a good job in the relationship.”

And then he blows it.

“Going into rehearsals, I thought my goal would be how do I make Jamie not seemed so flawed? How do I justify his actions? How do I make it so the audience thinks he is a better person than he actually is?” Minor said. “Midway through the first week and a half of rehearsal I changed my mind.”

While Minor has seen the show many times, when the curtain opens on April 24 it will mark the first time Sierra has seen THE LAST FIVE YEARS in its entirety.

“It's always been one of my bucket list shows,” said Sierra, who just spent a year and a half on the road playing Maria in an international tour of WEST SIDE STORY. “I love the non-traditional aspect of it.”

One of the big draws of THE LAST FIVE YEARS for the New York City resident was a chance to work again with Leibowitz, who was one of her professors when she attended Otterbein University. She credits him for most of the successes she has had in her professional career.

“I hadn't seen him in maybe nine years and just out of the blue one day, I got this beautiful message from him,” Sierra said. “He said he was directing the show and added, ‘You have to do it with me!’ I was thrilled. I would do absolutely anything for him.”

Leibowitz helped the actress navigate a difficult period of her life at Otterbein.

“Being back in Columbus has been sort of bittersweet because my first three years of college were pretty traumatic,” she said. “There was a voice deep down inside of me that always knew that this was my path and that I had something valuable to contribute to the theater world, but if I had listened to some of the voices around me (in college), I might have never gone on to do theater.

“Lenny started working at the school when I was a junior and he just turned the whole course of my schooling around. As an older adult, you look at those situations you went through as an 18 and 19 year old, and it’s amazing I was able to navigate through that and become a successful person.”

Minor and Sierra are both glad they decided to stick with theater. The two forged an almost instant chemistry with each other and they can’t imagine anyone else they would rather get “divorced” from 12 times on stage during the show’s run.

“I was a little scared not knowing her, but I trusted Lenny and I definitely trusted the Contemporary,” Minor said. “She’s just so unbelievable. She’s a master of the text and her voice is flawless. Her version of Kathy is heartbreaking and you want to root for her.”

“Hunter’s been fantastic,” Sierra said. “He’s so emotionally intelligent, such a gifted singer and just a good person. It’s a dream case scenario, right?”