The Last Five Years, Create Theatre, Mansfield - Review (presented by The Funky Company)
Written by Natasha for Theatre & Tonic
Last night I attended a staging of The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 song cycle about two young people who fall in love, get married - and experience the disintegration of their relationship. The show took place in a studio theatre in the East Midlands town of Mansfield, but despite the unassuming set and reasonably-priced bar, I felt I could have been in the West End due to such an exquisite performance (that was immediately followed by an unequivocal, wholly deserved standing ovation). Helped by Brown’s fantastic score and captivating narrative structure, the strengths of this particular production were located in the vocal talents of its cast; a live musical accompaniment; and the sense of intimacy and immersion that the performers brought to the audience.
To refer to a ‘cast’ at all, in fact, feels like something of a misnomer. The Last Five Years is a one-act, sung-through two-hander about the relationship between Jamie and Cathy, which places a huge responsibility on its actors’ shoulders. The two young leads (skilfully directed by Katie Funk) nevertheless illustrated the immense power of acting through song and movement, confidently shining on stage. Despite limited sung or spoken interaction between them, they delivered an utterly convincing portrayal of their characters’ relationship and its subsequent breakdown. Jonah Williams’ Jamie gave a polished vocal performance, switching easily between the comedy of songs such as Shiksa Goddess and The Schmuel Song, and the pathos of If I Didn’t Believe in You and Nobody Needs to Know. He also injected some much-needed humour into the tragedy, as well as some likeability into what could otherwise be a completely unsympathetic character. Anna McAuley as Cathy was incandescent, bringing her character to life with a versatility of emotion, compelling the audience not to take their eyes from her as they heard her bittersweet tale. Looking completely at home and making her rendition of a complex role seem effortless, her singing was impeccable from the first notes of Still Hurting through the entertaining A Summer in Ohio and tear-jerking finale number Goodbye Until Tomorrow.
And actually as well as its two vocal performers there is another component to the Funky Company production which elevated its calibre even further - a live ensemble of musicians. Situated within view onstage, the live band complemented the actors at every turn, providing them with a perfect musical backdrop. Featuring and conducted by Musical Director Jon Orton, the band beautifully and emotively played keys, guitars and strings (including two cellos as per the original score). From the jaunty grooves of the production’s pacier, more rhythmic numbers to the poignant heartbreaking motifs and intricate arrangements of its melodic ballads, the instrumentalists effectively provided a third character in their musical depiction of falling in and out of love.
To first-timers, Brown’s musical can be a little difficult to follow due to its dual narrative structure, which ingeniously weaves the chronological unfolding of the love story via the character of Jamie, together with a back-to-front telling from break-up to first kiss from Cathy’s point of view. Clever costuming as well as nuanced choreography and the performers’ superb ability to communicate situation and emotion helped the audience to more easily locate what was happening in the narrative. Yes, the set was very stripped back, and accompanied by an unembellished combination of subdued and spot lighting, but this perfectly suited the intimacy of the setting, creating an atmosphere which emphasised the performers as the focal point.
And with performers such as these, that’s exactly as it should be. McAuley and Williams demonstrated not only a breadth of vocal talent, range, musicality and mindful dynamics, but also engaging stage presence and connection with the audience. Their performances were poignant and evocative to match Brown’s story and songs - they did the source material complete justice, conveying the joy, trepidation and sadness of falling in love and breaking up and everything in between. An absolute gem of a production.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
The Last Five Years has now completed its three-night run. Contact the Funky Company via Funky Studios, Mansfield for details of any upcoming productions.
