{"id":11478,"date":"2020-03-05T16:30:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T16:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laughfrodisiac.com\/?p=11478"},"modified":"2021-11-09T21:53:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T21:53:09","slug":"an-inspired-production-of-the-last-five-years-at-southwark-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laughfrodisiac.com\/2020\/03\/05\/an-inspired-production-of-the-last-five-years-at-southwark-playhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"An Inspired Production of The Last Five Years at Southwark Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
It\u2019s Theatre Thursday! Today\u2019s show is the amazing The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, which officially opened last night<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n Whether you are new to The Last Five Years <\/em>(what, how but welcome!) or know it better than you know your phone number (me)(UK numbers are hard), the new, dazzling production of this beloved work is a necessary treat for musical lovers, theatre lovers, and even regular lovers who feel like being depressed but like in a beautiful way. A song-cycle of a show, Jason Robert Brown\u2019s The Last Five Years<\/em> shares the love story a divorcing couple, but the two characters famously share their stories in opposite directions: Jamie goes in chronological order, starting at the beginning of their courtship and ending at their divorce, while Cathy goes backwards, starting after their relationship has fallen apart and ending after their first date. IT IS HEAVY, YES, but it\u2019s some of the best music in modern musical theatre, and this unique, inspired production does a commendable job.<\/p>\n There are a few (maybe like 50) musicals I feel very protective about because of how much I love them. The Last Five Years<\/em> is one of them. I remember all of us in the plays in high school listening to the original off-Broadway album with Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (only people with three names were allowed to be involved originally) and being completely obsessed. So, I\u2019m even more critical than usual about this show because it\u2019s impossible not to compare to the originals, and no one can compete with them. And because the score is so g-d beautiful and emotionally raw and funny and moving and amazing (though it\u2019s always a tad uncomfortable to remember that this show is fairly autobiographical) so I\u2019m always like DON\u2019T FUCK IT UP OR I WILL FUCK YOU UP. But the Southwark\u2019s production, with fairly flawless direction from Jonathan O\u2019Boyle, doesn\u2019t try to compete through sheer vocal ability in the usual stand-and-plant manner of running this show. Instead, they\u2019ve created a distinctive version that keeps both actors onstage most of the time, and \u2013 spectacularly \u2013 makes them each other\u2019s accompanist.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right, Cathy (Molly Lynch) plays the piano for all of Jamie\u2019s (Oli Higginson) (literally just realized their names rhyme) songs, and vice versa, adding the nuance of an extra layer of responsibility for what the other experienced (along with extra chances at seriously impressing us with their talents). It\u2019s an exceptional move, making for a more vibrant and energetic version than usual, for a show that doesn\u2019t usually have the characters interact until the wedding crossover point. While it would be impossible to get performers who are superb singers, actors, and<\/em> pianists, especially for a small production like this, Lynch and Higginson (who I often thought was Matt Doyle undercover) are often great. They shine brightest as pianists, but they are more than serviceable singers. Lynch excels during Cathy\u2019s faster numbers, when she can show off her humor, like in \u201cA Summer in Ohio\u201d, staged cleverly with her playing the ukulele to Jamie over a video call. Higginson\u2019s slower songs (the more depressing ones I guess) gave him the breath for stronger belting so he sounded best in the second half. They\u2019re both probably working harder than anyone on a London stage right now, and it\u2019s a joy to watch.<\/p>\n