When Looking for the Perfect Comeback Show, All You Need Is 5 Years’ Love, and Divorce

Love, marriage, divorce. Complicate the order, add two powerhouse singers, and you’ve got the best musical you’ve never seen.

Composed by Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years tells the story of a five-year relationship between Jamie and Cathy. Sounds simple enough—but she tells the story from the day of their divorce to their first date, he tells the story from their first date to his goodbye, and they meet in the middle for their wedding. The musical is almost completely sung through with a series of soliloquies and just one duet for the wedding. The two-person show played Off Broadway for only two months back in 2002, starring Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Is He Dead?) and Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Mermaid).

It’s hard not to love The Last Five Years. Brown composed a musical in an eclectic array of styles with witty lyrics to hold even the most theater-phobic person captive. The songs are catchy, but not in an annoying way. Little touches sprinkled throughout the show’s music are surprises to be found upon repeat listenings. For example, the melody from Jamie’s last song is used at the beginning of Cathy’s first—giving the show a subtle cyclical feel.

The story itself is intriguing as you see it unfold from both the beginning and the end. The characters are flawed and complex, but believable. Despite knowing that their marriage ultimately fails, Brown has created a show in which it isn’t clear with whom the audience is supposed to side. And even though the show deals with some emotional struggles, it is ultimately an uplifting musical in which the audience feels a connection to the characters.

One of the best things about The Last Five Years is that you don’t have to see the show to love it. The lack of dialogue in the show and the fact that there are only two characters allow listeners to completely understand the show without seeing it performed. But there’s something about live theater. The raw emotion in the show is sure to be a captivating experience.

The Last Five Years may not be a traditional commercial musical with flashy costumes and dancing choruses, but its humanity never goes out of style.