The Last Five Years ONE NIGHT ONLY Jan. 27th
Starring Nick Gehring and Macy Ruggiero
Directed by Zackary Stuckelman
Rated R
The Last Five Years
Inspired by creator Jason Robert Brown’s own failed marriage to actress Theresa
O’Neill, The Last Five Years was conceived and written as the composer traveled the
country with the national tour of his earlier musical Parade. After its 2001 Chicago
premiere, O’Neill sued Brown, claiming that the show was too similar to their actual
relationship and violated the terms of their divorce.
The show meanwhile garnered rave reviews and high attendance during its two-month run in
Chicago, even being named by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 musicals of 2001.
To appease O’Neill, Brown made some edits to differentiate the role of Cathy from his
own ex-wife (notably, the song “I Could Be in Love with Someone Like You” was
replaced by “Shiksa Goddess”) before the show began its next run.
The Last Five Years opened Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre, starring Butz
and Sherie Rene Scott (Kennedy had had a prior commitment; thus it is Scott who sang
the cast recording). That year, it won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding music and
lyrics; it was also nominated for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Actor and Actress,
Outstanding Orchestrations, and Outstanding Set Design. Since then, it has gone on to
be produced in regional theaters across America and in six other countries, and has
been translated into Dutch, German, Italian, and Japanese. An Off-Broadway revival,
directed by Brown himself, ran briefly in 2013. There is also a 2014 film adaptation
of The Last Five Years, starring Anna Kendrick as Cathy and Jeremy Jordan as Jamie.