Boy meets girl. Boy marries girl. Boy leaves girl.
Girl gets left. Girl marries boy. Girl meets boy.
It might seem backward, but that’s all part of the perspective of “The Last Five Years,” now playing atMetropolis Performing Arts Centre. The musical covers the five-year relationship of Jamie Wellerstein—an aspiring writer—and Cathy Hyatt—an aspiring actress. Cathy’s journey happens in reverse chronological order. The first song of the musical, “Still Hurting,” finds her reading a letter from Jamie, a letter she found next to his wedding ring.
Jamie moves through their relationship from the beginning, his first scene taking place just as the couple is about to move in together. He’s excited to have found a nice non-Jewish girl (“Shiksa Goddess”), even though it’s breaking his mother’s heart.
These two timelines only intersect for one song (“The Next Ten Minutes”) and for one event in the relationship—Jamie and Cathy’s wedding. It’s a beautiful moment, watching them dance, finally interacting with each other, and then seeing the two walk away, ready to continue their story apart.
It’s an innovative and exciting new way to tell the “boy meets girl” story, but with only two actors on stage, it’s hard not to compare them. Matt Edmonds is outstanding as Jamie, and Elissa Newcorn can certainly sing, but her diction wasn’t crisp. Even so, one of the highlights of the show was “Climbing Uphill,” where we hear her thoughts as she auditions for a role yet another time.
“The Last Five Years,” written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, premiered at Northlight Theatre in 2001 before moving Off-Broadway the next year. It has received numerous awards, and will even hit the big screen next year with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.
The musical is a hit, but this cast is still working out some kinks. I hope they do, because “The Last Five Years” deserves it.
“The Last Five Years” runs through June 15 at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Tickets ($40-44) can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 847-577-2121.
