When you see a show as many times as I (and has anyone seen these shows as many times as I?) you tend not to forget the very first time you saw the production and the most recent time you’ve seen it. Occasionally there will be stand-outs (for good and bad reasons) that stick in the mind, but the two that resonate strongest tend to be the first one and the most recent one. I’ve certainly never forgotten The Last Five Years the very first time I saw it— at a semi-active, mostly haunted, asylum campus. At night. (Former home of the former Heritage Players.) And I was mesmerized. I’d never seen a musical told in bisecting timelines before. It’s a moving show. And while it’s not done-to-death like the Shreks and The Proms of this area, it’s not completely unknown. So to see it on the production menu of CJ Productions, a relatively new production company founded and operated by Sammy Jungwirth and Alexander Conte, was somewhat of a surprise as up to this point their approach has been never-before-seen shows and severely underproduced theatrical gems. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t expand their production horizons to include ‘lesser-produced’ things like The Last Five Years, which they’ve done an admirable job with, just uniquely surprising. Directed by Sammy Jungwirth with Musical Direction by Catina McLagan, this beautiful Jason Robert Brown musical is a tragically beautiful story about a relationship between two people that both unravels and spins itself into place.
A word of— background? Exposition? Familiarization? Pick one of those words. The Last Five Years is a two-person show that doesn’t really explain its setup, but rather jumps headlong into the icy-boiling waters of a relationship between Cathy and Jamie at two very different points of their togetherness. The scenic setup that Sammy Jungwirth (wearing all the damn production hats— director, set, props, lighting, etc.) is subtle and won’t necessarily clue the audience into what’s happening unless you’ve seen it before. The trajectory of the Cathy and the Jamie timelines, each starting at one end of the relationship, spiraling toward a middle-meeting point and then carrying on their own path (one moving forward in time the other moving backward) is a crucial component for making the show make sense (otherwise it’s just very pretty music by Jason Robert Brown sung beautifully by two actors) and it’s a thing that doesn’t get overtly established in the beginning.
Jungwirth has made the scene simple but there’s no shame in simplicity as this is a musical about storytelling. And although it’s simple, the set is still lovely to look at and inspires the atmosphere of these two individuals. There’s a pipe-n-drape-scrim whose dual purpose is to mask the on-stage orchestra but also serves as a wall, containing their apartment (we’re going to say apartment because who has an actual house in New York City?) It’s clever touches like having a living-room-style floor lamp, behind the scrim as Catina McLagan’s piano light that creates the illusion of ‘another room’ that the apartment goes beyond just the space that Cathy and Jamie take up during their numbers. There’s moving boxes and a portrait picture that appears and disappears (and changes) as the phases of the relationship progress and regress throughout the course of the performance. Simple but effective. The same can be said for Jungwirth’s lighting, particularly the end lighting with one character in the cold blue and the other in sunny warm gold, reflecting the peril of the end of a relationship and the hope of one that is just starting.
On final dress (because there’s only three chances to catch this show, folks, so don’t miss out!) there were some sound-balance issues. It’s a grandiose auditorium and finding the exact equilibrium between microphones and live-orchestra is a struggle, even with state-of-the-art sound equipment. But they’ve nearly got it figured out (the mic-balance issues seemed to only impact Xander Conte’s mic, but only about halfway through the performance and near the conclusion mostly everything sounded balanced.) But you certainly cannot fault Catina McLagan and her gorgeous five-person orchestra for their exquisite sound all throughout the performance. McLagan handles this glorious Jason Robert Brown score divinely; moving fluidly from one moment into the next as if the entire score was just one, big key-tempo-style changing song. And it really helps with the pacing of the performance. McLagan (on keys in addition to conducting) and her orchestra (Jamie Williams- guitar, Jason Wilso- bass, Toby Morris- cello, Anthony Shields- violin) create the perfect soundtrack for the two live performers, really grasping the nuances and intricate detail of Jason Robert Brown’s score.
Jungwirth is bringing a different perspective to this production of The Last Five Years. He says himself that he may not have a personal, connective understanding to the relationship struggle that Jamie and Cathy experience as he is just 18 but that everyone should in some way or other be able to relate to at least one of the characters or their situation in the show. And he’s not wrong. Lacking that experiential relationship to the material creates a different lens through which the production is informed. You get two people, each living their own timeline of events, each moving in the opposite direction of the other in regards to the progression/regression of their story, and although there is a “meet-in-the-middle” moment, you never truly feel like these two are a part of the same story. The lyrics support Cathy and Jamie of “the Cathy & Jamie Experience” but the way the show plays out feels like Cathy is having her experience, Jamie is having his experience, and they’re like ships passing in the night, sharing the same ocean but not necessarily the same voyage. It doesn’t derail the show but creates a forced-dysfunction, which when you think about it, relationships that end, especially those that end in disaster, are a product of dysfunction. It’s certainly a new way to look at this show, which is more traditionally approached as a tragically beautiful love story.
Xander Conte and Julia Williams lack chemistry, but I think this is intentional, going along with that “two separate ships passing in the night” vibe that Jungwirth sets down in his directorial approach to the show. They’re both powerhouse performers, particularly Williams with a fortified belt for miles. There are also moments where Conte’s portrayal of Jamie is meant to read as extremely distant and aloof and they just don’t quite fit with what’s happening. I noticed this mostly during “The Shmuel Song”, where he sets up the number as ‘reading her a new story’, and he frequently looks down at his notebook during this number, but instead of this gesture reading like he’s reciting a story, it gives more of a ‘fumbling to learn lyrics’ vibe, which is unfortunate because this number has the potential to be hysterical. Conte delivers a fully intense physical gesture-driven argument at an absent-Cathy during “If I Didn’t Believe In You” and it’s a very powerful moment where his body is fully engaged in the emotional integrity of the song. Conte rides this character track like it’s a train cruising across the flatlands, which creates a stark comparison to the emotionally mercurial roller coaster that Julia Williams takes with the Cathy character.
Julia Williams is a character-acting star in the making. She understands all of the comic nuance of the Cathy character and brings it in silly spades during “A Summer in Ohio” and “Audition Sequence.” She engages her facial expressions, her body language, and of course her voice, in a way that truly draws the riotous laughter out of these songs directly to the audience. What’s really priceless about “A Summer in Ohio” is how physically still she is for nearly the whole of the number, sitting on her chair, highlighting lines in her Fiddler script. It adds an extra layer of comedy to this number. The emotional fortitude that Williams imbues in Cathy is impressive. “Still Hurting” and “See, I’m Smiling” have worlds of pent-up frustrations and deeply-felt sorrows that come funneling out in perfect time with the music. And you get this radiant, hopeful sound with a matching smile and physical energy when she bursts into her conclusory number, “Goodbye Until Tomorrow.”
Sound balance hiccups aside, the unique directorial perspective will cause you to look at The Last Five Years in a different light. Not your average production of it for sure. Only three performances to catch it and it’s worth seeing!
Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes with no intermission
The Last Five Years plays through Sunday November 5th 2023 as a CJ Productions show at Harbor City High School/REACH! Partnership School— 2555 Harford Road in Baltimore, MD. Tickets are available at the door and in advance online.
