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A gem in the Jewellery Quarter
Reliving the years: Dean Bayliss as Jamie and Laura Poyner as Cathy The Last Five Years Imaginary Friend Theatre Co The Blue Orange Theatre, Jewellery Quarter,
Birmingham ***** THEATRE with its spotlights and illusion
is full of pretty, shiny things but every so often among the glitter and
glitz you find a real gem and this is a production that positively
sparkles. This is a musical with a cast of two – all right
three, just about, if you count Elise (Kaz Luckins) who appears for a
few moments as scantily clad bed decoration – but it is a vehicle which
is cleverly constructed and beautifully written and composed by Jason
Robert Brown. That gives a flying start and this is a show that
simply soars with its stars Laura Payner as Cathy and Dan Bayliss as
Jamie. Brown is largely unknown by most people, which is
a pity. His music reminds me of Randy Edelman. He writes monologues to
music, conversations which are turned into song. They are not really
commercial, will never be heard at a disco and will only appear in the
hit parade by accident but they are songs full of feelings, emotions,
thoughts, hopes, despair – life in fact. The Last Five Years is a love story from
the first green shoots of romance though marriage to the final
disintegration and break up over a five year period. It is written from the point of view of the two
characters with their thoughts at each stage of the relationship but
instead of a she said, he said commentary on a beginning, middle and end
narrative Brown writes two musicals in one. Cathy, an actress, starts at the end of the story
with the sad, resignation of the poignant Still Hurting as she
reads the farewell note from Jamie and slowly goes back through their
romance to its fresh beginning full of promise.
Jamie, a would-be writer, is working through they
story and opens with getting ready for his first date with Cathy, his
Shiksa Goddess. Soon he has his first book published and is
becoming famous author with book tours and signings. The pair's stories meet and cross with The Next
Ten Minutes. The only time the pair sing together. Cathy and Jamie are
in Central Park in New York and in a what is a sad love song tell each
other how they can't live apart. Cathy tells Jamie I want to be your wife I want to bear your child I want to die Knowing I Had a long, full life in your arms While Jamie tells her There are so many lives I want to share with
you I will never be complete until I do From there Cathy, who earlier in the show, but
later in her life remember, had been on tour with a show, reflects on
how worried she was about whether she would succeed as an actress with
Climbing Uphill, before she landed a part in a show and how she
took Jamie to meet her parents, I can do Better Than That, and
finally a song full of hope and promise, Goodbye Until Tomorrow,
after their first date. Jamie moves on from marriage towards despair with
a row with Cathy, If I Didn't Believe in You and finally wakes up
next to Elise, trying to justify adultery by blaming Cathy for damaging
their relationship singing Nobody Needs to Know telling Elise
I could be in Love with Someone Like You the final line of his
anthem for Cathy, Shiksa Goddesi. As Cathy sings about their first date, the music
a reprise of Still Hurting, Jamie sings the bittersweet song of
regret I Could Never Rescue You as he writes the note of
farewell. It is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with
15 songs which are all beautifully sung, full of emotion, feeling and at
times with smiles and fun, made even more intimate in a studio setting.
There is little in the way of dialogue so the full story, and all the
acting has to come through in the songs and Brown would have been
delighted at how Cathy and Jamie fulfilled his vision. Credit too has to go to the musical director
Chris Corcoran on the piano who showed he is not only a fine musician
but an accomplished accompanist – not always the same thing - aided by
Alexia Barbera on bass. A special mention to Doug Earnshow and Sam Dyer
who were responsible for sound – getting it right was important in a
show like this – lights and the video projections – which provided the
scenery. Four irregular screens showed images of rain, New York,
tenements, suburbs or whatever as a backdrop to the story. This is a first class production which ended its
three night run and truly deserves a much wider audience. 17-03-12 Roger Clarke
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