Review: THE LAST FIVE YEARS at Constellation Theatre Company

Like most theatre nerds, I love The Last Five Years - even with the star power of then-unknowns Norbert Leo Butz and Sheri Rene Scott aside, Jason Robert Brown's semi-autobiographical musical is catchy, funny, and heartbreaking. It's impressive that the score is so beautiful that you find yourself happily humming "Nobody Needs to Know" even when you're fully aware that it's a song about cheating. And, as a Jewish woman who has dated her fair share of non-Jews, I've related to "Shiksa Goddess" on a spiritual level (pun intended).

For those who aren't already obsessed with the musical, a brief synopsis: based on Jason Robert Brown's own failed marriage (closely enough that the original drafts were altered for legal reasons), The Last Five Years tells the story of Jamie Wellerstein, a young author with a meteoric career, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress. The two meet, fall in love, marry, and eventually split up over the course of the show while experiencing their own career highs (Jamie) and lows (Cathy). But what makes The Last Five Years particularly compelling is the gorgeous score and its unique structure: Jamie tells his side of their relationship from the beginning to the end, but Cathy's story is introduced at the end and traces back to the beginning. With this structure, we never see the two characters on the same page, except for when they meet in the middle at their wedding, the only time their stories align. It's a compelling, emotionally gripping story told in a beautiful way.

That said, adaptations of the musical have faced some notable challenges, especially since the gorgeous score is also incredibly complicated and the entire production centers around two actors. It's difficult not to compare to the original production since it features such big names, but that alone isn't the issue; the film version, starring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick, should have been a success but fell flat with even fans disappointed in the final product. The truth is, this musical is one of the more complicated to produce because it requires a precise blend of musical and emotional talent as well as a cast that can show their chemistry even when they're not performing together.

This is why I was both excited for the Constellation Theatre Company production, and approached it with some trepidation. The good news is that, in many ways, Director Kathryn Chase Bryer pulled off a great performance. This is, in large part, due to the brilliant casting of Adelina Mitchell, who was incredible as Cathy. Casting Mitchell, an alto, in the role also allowed her to shine without the risk of comparison to Scott's soprano, though even a comparison would still be favorable. By the end of "Still Hurting," Cathy's opening number, I was already in awe of Mitchell, and was excited each time the narrative shifted to her. Mitchell's emotionality carried the entire show, and her understated performance conveyed Cathy's turmoil and frustrations in a subtle but striking manner, though she also carried the more comedic elements with ease and charm. Watching Mitchell weave her way through Cathy's side of the story was entrancing, and it was genuinely fun to watch her bloom from heartbroken to newly in love.

But, unfortunately, try as I might, I just couldn't warm up to Alex Stone's Jamie. He lost me with the rushed opening to "Shiksa Goddess" and the extra "oy" thrown into the song - something I've never heard in any version, and left me wondering if the creative team doubted Stone's ability to believably portray a Jewish character and felt the need to overcompensate - and failed to win me back with his energetic but disconnected "Moving Too Fast." The only numbers that seemed fitting were Jamie's more outlandish moments, like "The Schmuel Song," but even "Nobody Needs to Know," which is Jamie's big emotional number, felt rushed and a bit flat. I'm not entirely sure if it's Stone, Bryer, or Musical Director Marika Countouris' decisions at play here, but the result was that I never fully cared for Jamie in this performance. While I personally always felt a bit more for Cathy, the show generally does a good job of balancing the audience's affections between the two characters. But I never got there with Stone's Jamie.

One particularly noteworthy aspect of Constellation's production is the set. A.J. Guban's stage design is brilliant in its simplicity: raised platforms surrounding a rotating centerpiece that serves as everything from a bridge to a pier to a wall between Cathy and Jamie. The cast utilizes the set well, and the minimal props are carefully chosen. The six-piece orchestra, led by Countouris, handled the complicated score with aplomb, carrying the work of a much larger musical ensemble. Even the camera work from Electric Impulses, though not a traditional element in theatre but a key element in our current post-Covid world, was artfully produced. In fact, the only piece of the production elements I didn't love was Frank Labovitz's costuming - while some pieces (like Cathy's blue dress and finale dress, and Jamie's plaid shirt) were nice and spoke to the characters, the majority of the costumes seemed ill-fitting and unflattering. This was mostly a shame because we're still easing out of the pandemic mode, so costumes are an exciting look into "normal" times.

Overall, Constellation Theatre Company's production is a fun and engaging performance, but the lopsided cast undermines its core charm. That said, fans of the show will still enjoy the production, and newcomers will still find the it engaging, if a bit unbalanced.

Constellation Theatre Company's production of The Last Five Years premiered live on June 12th, and will be available for viewers on demand June 22nd through July 11th. Tickets are $20 per household, and can be purchased on the Constellation website. Run time is approximately 75 minutes, and the production is recommended for ages 13+.

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