Review – The Last Five Years

[by Shiela Steinman Wallace]

Sometimes people seem to be made for each other. As their lives intertwine, they grow closer and their relationship strengthens through the years. Other times, people find that the relationship that once seemed perfect just doesn’t hold together through the years. Their careers take them on divergent paths and their values and interests drift apart until they are no longer a couple.

CenterStage’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years explores a relationship that takes the latter path; but Brown’s presentation, like the relationship he portrays, is out of sync.

We meet Catherine Hiatt (Jamie Lynn Sutton) trying to deal with the hurt of a failed marriage, seemingly unsure of exactly what went wrong and how they grew apart; and Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Moon) at the beginning of the relationship, excited and tantalized by the idea of going against tradition by dating a non-Jewish girl. Slowly, they work toward the middle where they are together for their wedding, only to continue on their distinct trajectories.

Jamie becomes a successful novelist and Cathy struggles to become an actress. Their different career paths and needs get in the way of their relationship.

Moon and Sutton are accomplished performers who convey the wide range of emotion each character feels along the way, and they do an admirable job with difficult material.

Next up on the CenterStage schedule is The Wizard of Oz. The company will present this classic tale March 11-28, and it’s sure to sell out, so get your tickets early. Call 459-0660 for more information.

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