The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years
By Jason Robert Brown. Presented by NUTS (National University Theatre Society). Directed by Maddie Mavro. ANU Drama Lab, Union Court ANU. 10 – 13 May 2017

Wry laughs and pathos abound in NUTS production of the cult tear-jerker The Last Five Years. This is a bare bones, tiny budget show, hinging on the sheer energy of Jamie (Colin Balog), the unworldliness of Cathy (Alessa Kron) and Erica Chen’s excellent piano rendition of the fabulous score.

Something that seems to vary in productions of The Last Five Years is the relative empathy you feel for Jamie and Cathy, and which of them you blame for the ultimate break up. NUTS’ production has Cathy caught up in the whirlwind that is Jamie’s life, only to be spat out at the other end. Cathy becomes the innocent party, partly because of the intensity with which Colin Balog plays Jamie.

As you may know, Cathy’s timeline goes backwards, starting with the break up and ending with her having just met Jamie. Meanwhile Jamie’s timeline starts at just as they become a couple. This is a neat piece of structural play that allows for mood and tempo changes, as well as juxtaposition of the characters’ emotional states at different times of the relationship in order to wring out maximum pathos.

So it is that just after Cathy opens with the sweet, heartbreaking lament “I’m Still Hurting”, Jamie bursts onto the stage with “Shiksa Goddess”, which Mr Balog performs with so much gusto, the girls next to me giggled. Mr Balog has a rich, bluesy voice and his enthusiastic and hammy rendition of “The Schmuel Song” was a highlight. Alessa Kron’s Cathy is angry and hurt, but far more restrained. The closing number, “Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You”, is heart-wrenching, pitching Cathy’s hopeful excitement as she falls in love against Jamie’s devastation as he packs his bags to leave forever. Underpinning it all was Ms Chen’s delicate and emotional piano work.

ANU’s NUTS always chooses interesting, intellectually stimulating and challenging pieces, and their enthusiasm is contagious. This production is a lot of fun and well worth catching.

Cathy Bannister

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