A fantastic story performed by a talented cast set in a beautiful location!
The Last Five Years is the 2001 musical written by Jason Robert Brown. The show is a moving and thoughtful musical that discusses the new love and the separation of this love. This is done cleverly through the use duel perspectives. We meet Jamie and Cathy, two individuals who fall in love with each other. From Jamie’s side of the story, we start at the beginning of their blossoming romance: understanding the feeling of new love and how this feels. From Cathy’s side of the story, we start at the end of their relationship and work backwards, reflecting the reality of a crumbling relationship. The Last Five Years continues to be beloved by musical fans alike, with a recent short lived revival starring Rachel Zegler and Ben Platt. Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (CUMTS) has decided to stage this production at the brilliant Clare College Chapel. It’s a beautiful and elegant chapel which made the production feel incredibly special. After attending some of the shows produced by CUMTS, I was eager to see how they tackle this classic.
This production is directed by Izzy Lane, assisted by Kate Woodman. Lane has developed a fantastic performance which allows for the depth of these characters to shine within the play space. It was clear that direction had been carefully considered in the chapel and this helped the production excel. Musical direction was conducted by Harrison Kirk alongside an incredibly talent band. Kirk’s direction allowed for consistently high quality of music and elevated the score! The band were also fantastic, being able to play the score effortlessly!
Jaeyen Lian plays Jamie, navigating their relationship going forwards. Lian is able to capture an upbeat Jamie really well, being joyful in his opening numbers such as ‘The Schmuel Song’. He is then able to create such depth with his character towards the end in songs such as ‘Nobody Needs to Know’. His vocals were impeccable: hitting every note. Mimi Latchman plays Cathy, navigating their relationship going backwards. From the start, Latchman was captivating on the balcony during ‘Still Hurting’. She was then able to slowly become more happy as the show continued, singing great songs such as ‘A Summer in Ohio’. Latchman’s vocals were phenomenal and she was incredible in every score. Both Latchman and Lian together brought such strong performances to this production: being a brilliant duo.
The Last Five Years plays for a final time on Saturday 16th May. Book your tickets now!
Tickets for this production were provided complimentary. Many thanks to Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society, the production team and ADC ticketing for organising.
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