I was surprised when I realized that Marcia Kash’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years, playing at Neptune Theatre until February 9th, was in the larger Fountain Hall space. It’s such an intimate show, with just two performers, in this case Heather McGuigan and Aidan DeSalaiz, telling the story of the ill-fated relationship between Cathy Hiatt and Jamie Wellerstein. At the same time, in a different way, The Last Five Years is large in its scope. It recounts the events of five years in the lives of its protagonists, with New York and an unnamed town in Ohio oscillating as the backdrops, within just ninety minutes and fourteen songs. Marcia Kash does a lovely job of balancing this sense of scope with the need for coziness, and really beautifully brings the world of the characters to life around what have become Brown’s familiar musical theatre standards.
The Last Five Years is a song-cycle musical about Jamie, a young and successful novelist, and Cathy, a young aspiring musical theatre actor, who meet, fall in love, get married, struggle, and, ultimately, break up. What is unique about this show, and why I feel like it’s not a spoiler to lay the plot out so bare, is the way that Brown tells the story. Cathy begins at the end of the relationship and moves backward toward a happier time, while Jamie begins at the start of the relationship and moves forward in a conventional way. They meet in the moments in the middle. This means that DeSalaiz and McGuigan spend a lot of the show standing on their own, facing the audience directly, which is why having them command that space in such a large theatre is so dramatic. It’s a challenge both performers meet with gusto.
Aidan DeSalaiz beautifully captures Jamie’s youth. He is being heralded as a Wunderkind, to have such success with a first novel at just twenty three years old. When he performs his short story of Schmuel for Cathy, with such boisterous playfulness, we really see why she was so captivated with him, how that energy could be irresistible, and how easy it would be to fall in love with someone so passionate, talented, and full of fun. Conversely, as he grows older, we see Jamie grow a little more jaded, frustrated, and selfish, while still being able to project that same aura of confidence and charm when needed. Through most of the show Jamie is buoyed up like a rock star, and that is mirrored in the way he sings many of his songs, a style that does DeSalaiz’s rich voice beautiful justice.
Heather McGuigan’s Cathy is both hilarious and devastating, full of joy, and decimated by defeat, the arc of this character is gigantic and the pacing of it is meticulous and clear. McGuigan has a huge singing voice, and she gives Cathy in her auditions her own impressive ability, so we see that while Cathy and Jamie are not equally matched in their careers, they are equally matched in their talent and potential. We see both Cathy and Jamie rally all their courage for phone calls with agents and we see Jamie emboldened and Cathy deflated by this experience. It’s impossible for me to not see this scene as indicative of the barriers often placed in front of women that men seemingly breeze through unscathed. This scene resonates as loudly in 2020 as it did eighteen years ago. Like with Jamie’s Schmuel song, in McGuigan’s powerhouse performance of “I Can Do Better Than That” during a road trip early in their relationship, we get to see Cathy at her most authentically happy, comfortable, and confident. She too is glorious. She too is irresistible. She too is utterly charming, and very, very young.
Brian Dudkiewicz’s set is large and fills the space, helping to create a closer playing area for the two actors. The set is very inventive, conjuring the sense of an apartment, an apartment building, and the facades of New York City buildings, while also being able to fade into the background when not immediately needed. Aaron Collier’s projections on the set and Jessica Lewis’ lighting design also help to ground us in place, whether that be a boat in Central Park or a pier in Ohio, or Jamie and Cathy’s place.
The music from Lisa St.Clair and Colin Matthews is gorgeous and poignant, and really plays with the actors in a unique way, especially during Cathy’s audition sequences where Lisa becomes a character within the world of the show.
I had always imagined The Last Five Years as a small show, solely based on the size of the cast, but Marcia Kash here has really opened up my perspective and shown me that this show can be as big as its heartbreak, and that I really should have known that these actors and this music would rise to the occasion in Fountain Hall.
The Last Five Years plays at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall Theatre (1593 Argyle Street, Halifax) now until February 9th, 2020. Shows are Tuesday to Sunday at 7:30pm with matinee performances on Saturday and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $30.00-$74.00 and are available ONLINE HERE, in person at the Box Office at 1593 Argyle Street or by calling 902.429.7070. For more information, please visit this website.
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