Broadway Reviews Theatre Review by James Wilson - April 6, 2025 The Last Five Years. Book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Direction by Whitney White. Choreography by Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman. Scenic design by David Zinn. Costume design by Dede Ayite. Lighting design by Stacey Derosier. Sound design by Cody Spencer. Orchestrations and arrangements by Jason Robert Brown. Music direction by Tom Murray.
The show's premise is decidedly conventional as it examines the beginning and ending of the romance of a fast-rising novelist and an aspiring musical-theatre performer. The dramaturgical conceit, however, is tantalizing. Brown, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, charts the separate incidents of the writer Jamie (Nick Jonas) and actress Cathy (Adrienne Warren). His story moves forward from their initial encounter, and hers moves backward from the final breakup. Their trajectories intersect just once halfway through the show. Brown's songs, ranging from pop ballads to jaunty show tunes to comedic charm numbers are appealing, but they are also comparatively generic. They are pleasantly tuneful, but the lyrics rarely delve deeply into the individualized characters. Unless the score is delivered by consummate singers/actors, the overall experience can be akin to attending a conceptual concert rather than watching an emotionally wrought musical. Fortunately, the current iteration veers mainly toward the latter. This is in large part due to Warren's astonishing achievement. She has the more difficult assignment of having to begin heartbroken and end hopeful; in less capable hands, this character could easily become merely a doormat. In her first song, "Still Hurting," Warren conveys Cathy's vulnerability while hinting at the smoldering embers of the love that once blazed. In addition, she is winningly comical in her songs about the travails facing struggling actors in "A Summer in Ohio" and "Climbing Uphill." Her clarion voice and forceful belt, which she applies to ravishing effect in "I Can Do Better Than That," is thrilling. Her bravura performance pointedly demonstrates that she can singlehandedly carry a show on her own, and if anyone is interested in bringing back Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance, she'd be an ideal Emma. This is not to denigrate Jonas, who is tasked with playing the far less sympathetic Jamie. Unlike Warren, who commands the stage from the start, though, he takes some time to find his footing. Those unfamiliar with the lyrics of "Shiksa Goddess" and especially the shoehorned story ballad "The Schmuel Song," for instance, will have some difficulty understanding the cultural references. As the character becomes more unlikeable as he gains success and notoriety, however, Jonas becomes more compelling and assured. Vocally, he is stronger and more confident in the romantic, lyrical, and melancholic compositions in the show's second half. Whitney White's polished direction (aided by some amusing choreography by Jeff and Rick Kuperman) helps to clarify the opposing chronologies. There are, for example, clever visual clues, such as a bouquet of tulips, to remind us of the benchmarks in the relationship. The setting is mainly New York, and David Zinn's pop-up scenic design, which includes miniature buildings, a bodega, and various apartments, captures the alternating romanticism and loneliness of the big city. Stacey Derosier's lighting effectively conveys both the shimmer and quiet inscrutability of New York at night. The excellent nine-piece orchestra under Tom Murray's music direction seems to hover above the stage and is integral to the mood and ambiance. The evening's emotional highpoint is the couple's marriage proposal when the two chronologies cross. The scene, which typically takes place on a rowboat on the Central Park Lake, has been moved to a Fifth Avenue hotel. It is the only time in the show that the characters have a full duet together, but the moment felt a little less magical here without the customary moonlight. Fortunately, Warren in particular does not need moonlight or other lighting tricks to shine. There may have been a surfeit of productions of The Last Five Years in the past few decades, but her stamp on the show will not soon be forgotten.
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