Where does the end begin? The answer isn't so simple in The Last Five Years, which finally arrives on Broadway led by Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren. The beloved Jason Robert Brown musical has enjoyed many productions all over the world, but not until now has it landed on Broadway, directed by Tony nominee Whitney White.
What's it all about? The Last Five Years tells the story of a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress. The show is known for its unique storytelling structure, as it presents the couple's relationship from two opposing perspectives.
Cathy tells the story in reverse chronological order, starting from the breakup and moving backward to the beginning of the relationship. Jamie tells the story in chronological order, starting from the beginning of the relationship and moving forward to the breakup. The two characters only interact directly in the middle of the show when their timelines overlap at their wedding.
The score features songs like: "Still Hurting," "Moving Too Fast," "A Summer in Ohio," "If I Didn't Believe in You," "I Can Do Better Than That," and "Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You."
The original production premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. It starred Sherie Renee Scott and Norbert Leo Butz, who also lent their voices to the iconic cast recording.
The show was revived off broadway in 2013 starring Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor and was made into a film by Richard LaGravenese in 2014 starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. A 2016 off-West End production starred Jonathan Bailey and Samantha Barks.
Get ready to fall in (and out) of love with The Last Five Years.
But in the show’s first Broadway incarnation, starring the resplendent Adrienne Warren and an underpowered Nick Jonas, the structure (along with the balance) has been compromised. The production, which opened on Sunday at the Hudson Theater, muddies the show’s temporal ironies and flattens its emotional topography. Its meaning and thus its impact are short-circuited.
The show’s toxicity has apparently affected at least one of its performers. Jonas and Warren are both strong singers, but Warren possesses the better voice. And she doesn’t mind proving that fact. Warren hangs on to high notes, and her fan base is prone to rewarding her with vocal outbursts and applause while she distorts the musical line. In her final duet with Jonas, at the preview I attended, Warren held a high note long after he concluded his. That’s grounds for divorce in the musical theater.
| 2002 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2006 | London Fringe |
London Revival London Fringe |
| 2013 | Off-Broadway |
Second Stage Theatre Production Off-Broadway |
| 2016 | West End |
West End Production West End |
| 2021 | West End |
Vaudeville Theatre Transfer West End |
| 2025 | Broadway |
Broadway Premiere Production Broadway |
| 2026 | West End |
West End |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Nick Jonas |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Adrienne Warren |
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