2015LASTFIV_5W First performed in 2001, and numerous times since, Jason Robert Brown’s acclaimed musical The Last Five Years is the story of one relationship told over its five year duration, with a bittersweet twist. We join Cathy and Jamie on opposite ends of their story; in the first number Cathy is at the bitter end of the relationship and Jamie at the time they just met. They work towards each other, Cathy backwards in time and Jamie chronologically, meeting in the middle for one song together.

Compton Little Theater’s production is no all-singing all-dancing Broadway razzmatazz, but a much more intimate affair, the music and performances taking center stage.

The two leads put in honest and sterling performances as Jamie, the up and coming writer and Cathy, an aspiring actress but unfortunately, the singing was occasionally a little shaky up the high end. For me, however the let down of this show is the set. Minimalist and stripped down, the effect is sadly lacklustre, scene changes feeling clucky and at times distracting. Both the set design and costume feel like a nod to what is going on in the story, rather than an integral a part of it.

When you are doing any kind of messing around with time, some serious attention to detail is in order, both to ease and support the transitions. We only get snapshots into this pair’s lives, snapshots spun across five years and the little details lacking here could have been a huge opportunity to tell us more.

In essence, I felt this production is one for the fans, a show for those who already know and love this musical. Indeed there seemed to be many in the audience who were (thank you so much to the people next to me who lip synced through the whole thing) and I got the sense like they enjoyed it, with a fair few damp eyes in the house.  However, to me, a first time viewer, this production of The Last 5 Years felt more like a glorified concert, a homage rather than a standalone piece.

The Last 5 Years, C Nova is on 5-17 August. For more information click here.