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When people think of musical theatre, generally the first image that comes to mind is a large cast of actors, singing and dancing their way through big, showy musical numbers. And the reason for this is that most musicals do consist of a large cast and big, showy musical numbers. But every once in a while, a show comes along that breaks the mold. Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is one of those shows.
The cast recording for The Last Five Years is one of the most unique show recordings I’ve ever listened to. For one thing, the show consists of only two characters: Jamie (Norbert Leo Butz) and Cathy (Sheri Renee Scott), a couple going through a tumultuous and ultimately doomed five-year relationship. Even more uniquely, their story is told from two different viewpoints: Cathy begins the show at the end of their relationship and tells their story backward, ending with their first date; Jamie starts off the show at the beginning of the relationship and moves forward in time, ending with their breakup. As they work their way through the one-act show, their stories meet up only once, in the poignant song, “The Next Ten Minutes,” in which they exchange their wedding vows. The show comes to a heart-wrenching ending as we see Jamie composing his goodbye note to Cathy, while she, at the very beginning relationship, dreams about their future and wishes him “Goodbye Until Tomorrow.” The final lyric of the show, sung by both characters in unison, is “Goodbye.” I’ve never been able to listen to it without crying.
I could go on for days about this show, about the close look it takes at relationships and how fragile so many marriages can be, but I don’t have the time or the space for that. Instead, I implore you to check out the cast recording of this wonderful show. The music is understated—most of the accompaniment is simply done with a piano, with the occasional strings thrown in—but it stays with you. The CD encompasses a wide range of musical styles, and several songs—Jamie’s “Shiksa Goddess” being my favorite—will stay in your head long after you’ve finished listening to the CD. And the performances by these two Broadway powerhouses are worth the price of the CD alone.
So the next time you feel like taking a break from the showy, sometimes overproduced musical numbers of so many Broadway shows, check out The Last Five Years cast recording. It’s an amazing album.
