Review: THE LAST FIVE YEARS at Riffe Center Studio 2

A recent survey discovered the number one cause of divorce in the United States is marriage.

Although there has been a slight dip in the number of divorces according to the U.S. Census, still nearly half of the couples who make  a commitment to stay together “until death do us part” will fall short of that lofty vow. The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio’s production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, which runs April 24-May 11 at the Riffe Center Studio 2 (77 South High Street in downtown Columbus) tells the tale of once such doomed couple.

In the one-act, 14-song musical, loosely based on composer Jason Robert Brown’s failed marriage to actress Theresa O’Neill, up-and-coming novelist Jamie Wellerstein (Hunter Minor) believes he has found his “Shika Goddess” in struggling actress Cathy Hiatt (Melanie Sierra). However, the audience can deduct the pair didn’t make it from the first line of the show’s opening number “Still Hurting” – Jamie is over and Jamie is gone/ Jamie's decided it's time to move on. Although they know the heart ache is coming, the audience can’t turn away from it.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS is a 90-minute, heart-squeezing recap of how a marriage disintegrated from two different directions. In alternating songs, Cathy starts at the end of the marriage and works her way back to the beginning of their courtship; Jamie’s songs, on the other hand, begin at the first flickers of romance and carry through to the end of it. The two have only one true duet together, “The Next Ten Minutes,” which serves as an exchange of vows in the show.

Brown’s lyrics are poignant and his melodies match the mood, but it is a series of elements that make this production stand out. The epicenter of the show is the powerful performances of Minor and Sierra. Vocally, the two could sing a chicken cacciatore recipe and make it sound spellbinding. But the couple have an amazing chemistry and even though they are not directly singing to each other, they find ways to play off each other.

Which brings us to the second element of this production: staging. In other productions of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, Jamie and Cathy are rarely on the stage at the same time, resulting in a “he sang/she sang” feel to the show. Director Lenny Leibowitz keeps both characters on stage the entire show. The audience can see how the words and actions of one of the characters affect the other. At times, one will turn his or her back defiantly or stare blankly off into space as the other one performs. It is a simple touch, but it is very effective.

The characters are not the only people kept in the audience’s view. In other productions of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, the three-person orchestra is often tucked away out of sight. In this show, the trio of Leibowitz (piano), Mathew Kinnear (violin) and Ward Williams (cello) share space with Minor and Sierra. Kinnear and Williams are just off stage but Leibowitz and his piano are center stage. The piano is a piece of the couple’s apartment furniture with Sierra and Minor resting against it, setting Christmas and Hanukkah decorations on it or sitting on top of it.

Finally, the decision to do the show in a round is an interesting choice. Using Studio 2 at the Riffe Center keeps the audience size down to 187 people but it also gives a show an intimate feel. At times, you feel like you are a voyeur in the lives of Kathy and Jamie, witnessing their triumphs, their failures, and their fights. It seems the actors are complaining about their spouse’s shortcomings directly to you.

All these factors are risks, and all of the gambles pay off in a riveting performance. With half of the marriages in this country ending in divorce, the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio’s production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS will split audiences right down the middle, with it being a precautionary tale for some, and a strong dose of therapy for others.