The Last Five Years, with a story, music and lyrics by Brown, tells the story of a couple's doomed relationship. The story is told non-linearly, with Jessie's story told from the beginning to end, while Cathy's story told from end to the beginning, meeting in the middle for one song. While this non-traditional storytelling is creative and exciting, in practice, it becomes burdensome. As one of the earlier works in Brown's output, it lacks refinement and sophistication that is desperately needed in such an abstract form. The obsession of making the story lines clear forces the relationships and characters portrayed to be shallow and uninteresting, and worse, their relationship becomes a tired story line we've heard a million times, that needs more depth and humanity. Brown's music is all-around nice and works, however doesn't tend to mirror the drama well. The music is overly simple and "broadway-like" for a show that defies many musical norms, that subtly suggests to the audience that while the characters attempt to explore some deep issues, the music reminds them that this is essentially a simple story with simple characters told in a complex manner.
With a cast of only two people, it's a lot of weight for these two actors to carry. Not only that, it's almost as each actor is in a constant state of monologue, as they rarely interact with each other. This becomes a challenge for them to "experience" their story as it happens, not just to relate what happened in the narrative. Arguably, the more complex plot is given to Cathy (played by Tia Galanis). Her story is told from the end to the beginning. Because of this non-traditional story-telling, it could prove challenging to the actor, but Galanis was completely up to the task. With her powerhouse vocals and sincere acting, she commanded the role with complexity and ingenuity. She is a true professional, stealing the show in every sense of the phrase, adding nuance and expression to her singing: trademarks of an even more seasoned professional. Enough praise cannot be given of this remarkable performance. Not as much could be said about Taylor Smith playing Jamie, a struggling new novelist. Jamie can be easily interpreted as the scoundrel of the show, and Smith did nothing to give the character any extra depth or sympathy. His vocals were weak and bland by comparison to the only other actor on stage, and his acting was weaker. This is a very tough show to present, but unfortunately of the two, Smith did not live up to the task.
The set, designed by Kevin Dudley, was remarkable. Made up of sliding translucent panels, the simplicity in the idea was its brilliance. With some of the most subtle transitions to the set, one could tell easily the scene was in a new setting, though the costumes and props remained the same. Alex Marshall, music director, is also to be commended for the exquisitely seamless interpretation of the score.
All being said, one must acknowledge the creative attempt of the composer. This show is still refreshing in its conception alone, regardless how seamless the final product came out. This was a subtle, yet ambition project by Salt Lake Shakespeare and what occurred was an extremely successful interpretation of a good piece of theater. Be sure to check out their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, playing now at the Babcock Theater on the University of Utah's campus.
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