The Last Five Years, a contemporary Drama Desk winning musical is an emotionally powerful and intimate theatre experience about two New Yorkers in their 20s who fall in, and out, of love. It explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie's is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect. The story is told almost entirely in song.
Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown and produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International, the production is directed by Jeri Dunn with musical director David K Smith. The show is double-cast with Lindsey Chambers and Jacob Faile (both of Rome, Ga.) appearing on Sept. 15, 21, and 23, and Abby Wright (Calhoun, Ga.) and Josh Lance (Calhoun and Canton, Ga.) appearing on Sept. 16 and 22.
The show premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in 2002. That production won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. It was named one of TIME magazine’s ten best shows of 2001. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally. A film adaptation, starring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick, was released in February 2015.
Performances: Sept. 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23, 2017 at 7 p.m. Due to the mature subject matter and language of the play, this show is rated PG-13. This production is made possible by the sponsor of this production, Leggett Law, and 2017-18 Season Sponsor Cathy Camp Bomar.
Tickets and more information are available online (http://www.harrisartscenter.com/events) or by calling 706 629.2599.