Sean Yves Lessard and Cat Rojo (Photo by Sydney Belabin)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
Chalomot Productions at The Hudson Theatres Backstage
Through April 12
RECOMMENDED
Cat Rojo (Photo by Sydney Belabin)
The original Off-Broadway production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years featured Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott. A few years later that pair would go on to headline in the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels together (with John Lithgow). I’ve always thought the close connection between these two disparate musicals to be humorous, but I digress.
The Last Five Years is a two-person show about a writer, Jamie Wellerstein (Sean Yves Lessard) and an actor, Cathy Hiatt (Cat Rojo). The story follows important events and milestones in Jamie and Cathy’s relationship over the span of a few years. The twist is that, for us, Cathy kicks off the musical at the end of the relationship, while Jamie commences at its start. Each song moves the couple either forward or backward through the timeline, meeting once at the middle in “The Next Ten Minutes”.
Director Aaron Byrnes emphasizes the circular nature of the musical, but his vision is not entirely clear. The set is quite expansive, and Byrnes stages the action across the entirety of the stage, which generates a lot of movement and variety. Unfortunately, this tends to sap focus away from the story, and the pace of the show tends to lag.
The set is all black, featuring multiple levels and some round icons that might relate to the themes or locales of songs in the show (again, this is not clear). Matt Richter’s lighting design is vibrant, though not enough to fully counteract the oppressive darkness of the set. And Morgan Whittam’s costume design captures the polarity between Jamie and Cathy, though less clearly for Cathy, whose overall journey feels less explored than Jamie’s.
Lessard’s Jamie is steadfast and strong. He wields a forceful demeanor that is supported by a powerful vocal performance. (Lessard’s “The Schmuel Song” is especially fantastic.) Rojo’s Cathy is much the opposite. She’s sensitive and sweet, at times bubbly, but ultimately a bit worn down from the hustle of chasing success as an actor.
At the top and again at the end, the couple encircle each other, creating a bittersweet ‘button’ emblematic of the show’s conceit. And during “The Next Ten Minutes” they spin elegantly through the air (choreography by Sarajane Bradford), enwrapped in each other for a brief charming moment before they begin to drift apart again.
Music director Mike Walker excellently underscores the show on solo-keyboard.
The Hudson Theatres Backstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sat., 2 pm, Sun., 3 pm; thru April 12. www.chalomotproductions.com Running time approximately 90 minutes, no intermission
