THE LAST 5 YEARS. To 26 October 2008.
London.
THE LAST 5 YEARS
book music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.
Theatre Royal Haymarket. Haymarket.
12, 19, 26 October 7:30pm.
Runs1hr 30min No interval.
TICKETS: 0845 481 1870.
www.thelast5years.com
Review: Geoff Ambler 12 October 2008.
This is what Sunday evenings are kept free for.
The Notes from New York shows are one of musical theatre’s rarest delights, appearing only a few times a year, on Sunday evenings, with a collection of the West End’s finest performers and never failing to be memorable. Now in their fifth year the Notes team are marking the event with Jason Robert Brown’s Last 5 Years. In response to massive ticket demand they have for the first time spread their musical joy over three Sundays in October at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.
Featuring Notes regulars Julie Atherton, as not quite successful actress Catherin,e and Paul Spicer as increasingly more successful writer Jamie, this two hander follows their unsuccessful relationship. JRB brings something different to the usual story, having both parties approaching the affair from opposite ends; a twist that sometimes seems too well-disguised for the uninitiated. Only getting together onstage briefly at their wedding as their journeys cross, Catherine and Jamie explore pain, joy and the bundle of other emotions that come with love and loss or for Cathy, loss and love.
Atherton’s opening number ‘Still Hurting’ is a heart-wrenching exploration of a break-up. Catherine sits at a table wracked with grief, alone and clutching a letter and wedding ring, rocking in her chair with the song’s lyrics, already powerful, augmented by the raw emotions Atherton brings to it. Catherine continues her journey, in reverse, with some of the finest numbers a female lead could dream of. JRB seems to sympathise with Catherine more, giving her the better numbers, something Atherton delights in as she brings each one to life. She has a mesmerizing presence and a possibly unsurpassed grasp of musical comedy, as in ‘Climbing Uphill’.
Fortunately for Jamie he goes through life in chronological order. Ever the ideal partner for Atherton, Spicer plays the guy who loves, marries then moves on. With less humour and fewer emotional extremes he remains an equal delight; it’s not his fault the show could do without the ‘Schmuel Song’.
The Notes’ production strengthens a reputation for producing Must See Musical Theatre. Keep an eye open for these rare delights.
Catherine: Julie Atherton.
Jamie: Paul Spicer.
Directors: Fiona Laird, Amelia Sears.
Lighting: Ace McCarron.
Sound: Mark Dunne.
Musical Supervisor: David Randall.
Musical Director: Torquil Munro.
2008-10-21 16:48:20