When Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years first appeared onstage in 2002, I approached it with a certain hesitancy. Yes, the composer/lyricist of the 1998 Parade (and, before that, the 1995 song cycle Songs for a New World)—was infinitely talented and refreshingly original. But what we knew of the work was that: (1) it was a two-character all-song musical—that is, everything sung by one or the other—about a divorcing couple; (2) it was likely angry and perhaps stacked towards the husband, in that the initially announced production at Lincoln Center Theater was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to a furious and public lawsuit by the author’s ex-wife over her portrayal in the piece; and (3) Brown, we were told, had built the song-after-song narrative on some type of a concept which from the descriptions sounded like a gimmick he couldn’t likely carry off.
The Last Five Years finally appeared in a considerably less-heralded off-Broadway production, revealing that the afore-described talented and original Brown had created a stunningly powerful seesaw of courtship, marriage, and divorce, including an unsparingly brutal self-depiction. Enhanced by the power of original cast performers Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott, Brown succeeded in making both husband and wife charmingly delightful and destructively negative at opposite ends of the affair. As for the gimmick: What gimmick? The songs and the plotting rolled along in a diametrically opposed manner that perfectly supported the piece dramatically.
Every time The Last Five Years has come along since—on recording, stage, film, and now via a new streamed production from Out of the Box Theatrics and Holmdel Theatre Company—I’ve considered: Yes, I quite liked it originally and the composer has always been (yes) infinitely talented and refreshingly original. But do I really want to delve in that whole scenes-from-a-marriage thing again? And given my familiarity with the piece, won’t it seem—well—gimmicky?
Today’s report is that the new production starring Nicholas Edwards and Nasia Thomas is fully compelling, with a stark difference (which we will get to in a moment) bringing new dimension to the material. But first let us say that the vibrantly heartfelt and rage-felt piece Brown created about his five-year relationship retains its power, originality, and interest even in this very much different, 20-years-later world.
The locale, though not the material, has been moved to today; rather than watching the actors on figuratively separate sides of the stage, we are in what seem to be the actors’ own pandemic-worn apartments where they often intermingle, albeit not in dialogue or song except for the one moment sanctioned by Brown. They sometimes talk and sing while glued with seemingly full attention to their cellphones, which is about as contemporary as you can get.
Most notably—and most unlike what you’d find in a stage presentation—is director Jason Michael Webb’s intrinsic use of his six musicians, who are frequently found in the shots: a percussionist lounging on the couch in the back of a shot playing maraca-like egg shakers, for example. When Cathy, the wife, sings about her summer stock snake-charmer roommate, we not only see Wayne the snake; we also see the “former stripper” roommate pounding away at the electric keyboard. Cynthia Meng, in this and several other on-screen shots, acts precisely as a theatrical pianist should, ignoring the audience/camera while concentratedly immersed in the music at hand.
Don’t make the mistake of confusing director/musical director Jason Michael Webb with Jason Robert Brown. (What’s with these three-named Jasons, anyway?) The only similarity, perhaps, is in terms of talent. When Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy opened at City Center in 2013, the musical arrangements were so phenomenal and intrinsic to the play that some of us thought: Well, this is not Broadway and anyway there’s no such thing as a Tony Award for musical direction; but whoever is responsible for this could win it. When Manhattan Theatre Club finally brought the play to Broadway in 2019, Webb’s work remained so astonishing that he was indeed honored with a “special” Tony Award. In the interim, mind you, his talent was amply demonstrated when he served as musical director and conductor the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple.
How this qualifies Webb to direct this streaming production of The Last Five Years, I can’t tell you. But he certainly does a marvelous job, bringing out the performance of Brown’s 14 musical numbers while visibly melding the past and future events of the “five years” concurrently in a manner that you’d not find in a stage production. All of which is to say that we might want to look out for whatever it is Webb turns to next.
Another issue at hand is the question of suitability and adaptability. Out of the Box Theatrics describes itself as “dedicated to producing new and classic works while challenging audiences to experience work outside of their expectations.” Given the non-traditional casting, those familiar with The Last Five Years might wonder how they plan to deal with Brown’s oh-so-memorable song in which one character is described as a “Shiksa Goddess,” and another legend of courtship entitled “The Schmuel Song.” Webb and actors Edwards and Thomas get through the first, near the beginning of the show, without raising a question or an eyebrow; and they make the second, sung by him but acted by both, more than incredibly touching. Which speaks to the talent of the performers, director, and author, as well as the mission of Out of the Box Theatrics.
Those familiar with The Last Five Years who might be concerned that an additional visit might prove disappointing need not fret; this powerful song cycle of love and marriage and divorce will once again smite you. Those unfamiliar with the piece will find themselves celebrating in the power and strength of innovative musical theater, as sculpted by Jason Robert Brown.
The Last Five Years was streamed starting March 15, 2021 and will remain online through May 9. Information and reservations: ootbtheatrics.com
