The Last Five Years at Signature Theatre

The Last Five Years

Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue Arlington

From first date to final goodbye, The Last Five Years chronicles the highs and lows of modern marriage in an intimate, honest and richly moving musical portrait. Through the course of 14 songs, rising novelist Jamie and struggling actress Cathy separately tell their own account of their five-year relationship. From the whimsical optimism of Jamie's "Shiksa Goddess" to Cathy's crushingly vulnerable "Still Hurting," the young lovers explore their emotionally complex romance through beautifully haunting music and original lyrics.

Thru - Apr 28, 2013

Tuesdays: 7:30pm

Wednesdays: 7:30pm

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 2:00pm & 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:00pm & 7:00pm

Price: $47 - $96

Show Type: Musical

Running Time: 1 hour 30 mins with no intermission

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The Last Five Years Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...Is "chamber pop" a term? Music director William Yanesh's six-person orchestra features piano, guitar and bass, plus two cellos and a violin. Signature is the only theater in town that could do this score justice, and Matt Rowe's feather-light sound design renders the amplification almost undetectable. Such all-around skillful work makes the no-frills "The Last Five Years" worth seeing, and worth a good, close listen."

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- Nelson Pressley

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The last five weeks have no doubt been a busy blur at Signature Theatre since it bumped its planned Crimes of the Heart, starring Holly Twyford. Like a gypsy getting her shot at the big time, The Last Five Years, directed by Aaron Posner, joined the lineup last-minute in late February. What a lucky break for DC-area fans of Jason Robert Brown's semi-autobiographical, two-person modern chamber musical. There may not be a sparer spare show to mount in a pinch. "Spare and thoughtful" is even the conductor's first direction in the score at the top of Scene One."

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- Terry Byrne

Washingtonian - Recommended

"...The couple are oh-so-relatable, as well they should be-The Last Five Years is based on the breakdown of Brown's own marriage, and if anyone can portray what it's like to be married to a writer, it's Weaver. Posner's portrait of a marriage in dissolution (and a relationship origin story) is a sincere, pleasantly engaging production, and some of the structural problems with Brown's story are lessened by Weaver's genuinely absorbing performance, itself worth the price of admission."

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- Sophie Gilbert

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...Jason Robert Brown's two character chamber musical The Last Five Years is one of those shows that is not performed a whole lot professionally. One reason for this is that if the show is not cast well it's a very long 80 minutes. Signature Theatre does not have this problem with their production; in fact, there is pretty much nothing at all wrong with this production. It gives us two stellar performances by Erin Weaver and James Gardiner and equally great staging by Aaron Posner, plus the added bonus of hearing JRB's original orchestrations with the orchestra under the direction of William Yanesh."

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- Elliot Lanes

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Both James Gardiner and Erin Weaver turn in fabulous performances as their respective characters, with Gardiner having perhaps the more supple voice of the two. Nonetheless, both performers know how to sell a song as well as develop a character we can care about. Their approach is intimate, energetic, and technically nearly perfect. Extra points, too, for fantastic diction—critical to gaining a full grasp of Brown’s deeply insightful yet often hilarious lyrics.

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- Terry Ponick

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The Last Five Years at Signature Theatre