About the work
The Last Five Years is an intimate chamber musical by Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics), premiered in Chicago in 2001 and Off-Broadway in 2002. With only two performers and an unusual narrative structure, it is regarded as one of the most influential works of modern musical theatre.
Plot
The work tells the five-year love story between the aspiring writer Jamie and the struggling actress Cathy—but from two opposite directions in time. Cathy begins at the bitter end of the failed marriage and moves backward to first falling in love; Jamie begins at the first meeting and moves forward to the break-up. Only in a single moment—their wedding in the middle—do their timelines cross. This structure reveals unsparingly how two people experience the same relationship in completely different ways.
Cultural significance
The Last Five Years is famous for its ingenious, counter-running narrative structure and Jason Robert Brown's emotionally powerful, demanding songs. As a compact two-person piece, it became one of the most frequently performed works at smaller theatres and in training. The 2014 film with Anna Kendrick carried it to a wider audience. It is regarded as a modern masterpiece about the rise and fall of love.