The Last Five Years

At the Pump House Theatre, Watford

Thursday 26th - Saturday 28 November 2009

About The Show If you were to tell the story of your last five years where would you start? The beginning? The end? Jason Robert Brown’s award-winning musical tells of the relationship between emerging writer Jamie and struggling actress Cathy. The premise is familiar; the twist, however, comes in the narration, with Jamie telling his side of the story from beginning to end, while Cathy starts at the end and works backwards through their time together to the day it all began….

The Cast

Jamie - Nadeem Crowe

Cathy - Bobbie Chatt

Elise - Joanne Goddard

The Band

Keyboard/Musical Director - Simon Beck

Violin - Brian Wright

Cello - Sarah Bowler

Cello - Yvonne Parsons

Acoustic Guitar - John Gregson

Electric Bass - Gareth Covey-Crump

Production Team

Director
Matt Fowler

Musical Direction

Simon Beck

Producer
Bobbie Chatt

Stage Manager
Sally Wilson

Lighting Design
Stewart Jordan and Miriam Evans

Sound
Philip Stannard

Set Construction
David Evans

Front of House
Kathleen Paynter, Chantel Avis, Fay Knight, Katy Meehan

Publicity Design
Paul Egan

Printing
Gade Printing Services

Rehearsal Venues
Moonglow Dance Studio and Menier Chocolate Factory

Photography
Ralph Rapley - www.xmo4.com

Still Hurting - Cathy

Shiksa Goddess - Jamie

See I'm Smiling - Cathy

Moving Too Fast - Jamie

I'm A Part of That - Cathy

The Schmuel Song - Jamie

Summer In Ohio - Cathy

The Next Ten Minutes - Jamie and Cathy

A Miracle Would Happen / When You Come Home to Me - Jamie and Cathy

Climbing Uphill - Cathy

If I Didn't Believe In You - Jamie

I Can Do Better Than That - Cathy

Nobody Needs To Know - Jamie

Goodbye Until Tomorrow / I Could Never Rescue You - Cathy and Jamie

Reviews

If you're not from the area, Watford's a fairly long way to go for a fix of musical theatre, but this very professional production of Jason Robert Brown's Last Five Years was more than worth the trek. Starring Nadeem Crowe, who debuted this summer as Tank in Zanna, Don't! and actress Bobbie Chatt, it tells the story of Jamie and Cathy's marriage from beginning to end, complete with ups and downs. The twist here is that Jamie tells his story forward, while Cathy tells hers backwards. The two meet in the middle, and the audience is able to see both sides of their tale.

MD Simon Beck and orchestra performed Jason Robert Brown's score beautifully, throwing power into the necessary places and letting the acting take the front seat in others. With strong, sweeping crescendos sharply followed by lovely clashes, it was hard to keep focus on the performances at points whenever the evocative music swelled.

Both Chatt and Crowe acquitted themselves well, utilising a minimal set that helped focus attention on the story and the vocals. Chatt brought a huge amount of emotion to Cathy from start to finish, allowing the audience to sympathise with the character despite her clearly unstable and often selfish nature, while Crowe's delightful vocal took attention away from Jamie's similarly self-serving actions and put it firmly on his good points.

A hard musical to perform at the best of times, this show only ran for three days - it's a pity it couldn't work up the courage to try for a full week!

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