Sunday, July 10, 2005
"The Last Five Years" at MetroStage
I was so pleased that a friend invited me to see this lovely musical, The Last Five Years, that traces the break-up of a relationship, almost entirely in song. But even though I had known that the two characters began from opposite ends of the time spectrum--Catherine (Tracy Lynn Olivera) begins at the poignant end of their relationship, and Jamie (Mark Bush) begins at the hopeful beginning--I still found the plot/s a bit hard to follow. Such a shame, because if the action had been clearer, this musical would be much more successful.
It reminded me at times of Steven Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," which begins at the end and rolls, merrily, backwards, until the characters at the end are young and idealistic. You see the choices they make and how things might have gone differently for the main character. Despite yourself, you leave on a hopeful note, because the characters at the end were so hopeful. I wish this show had ended hopefully. The scenes were just ordinary scenes from their relationship (one hilarious audition song for the heroine; one romantic fable from the hero) and I was hoping they'd reconcile or something if their paths ever crossed after he proposed.
These are weaknesses in the book. The music was wonderful and the musicians were superb. MetroStage attracts such fine musicians! I saw "Three Sistahs" there and the music still resonates with me (again, the ending needed to be re-written, but the music, acting and staging were perfect). The mikes bothered me at first (MetroStage is so small--do they really need mikes?) but I know how annoying it is, particularly for older people in the audience, when they can't hear, so I'd rather see the mikes than miss a line.
They say it's not what you do, but who you do it with. I was with wonderful people and was so grateful to be taken to such a musical evening, far from a Metro, despite the theater's name. I guess the lawyer/editor in me is always re-writing and revising the book. I know the Ushers saw the show---I wonder what they thought of it.
Speaking of the Ushers, Joel Markowitz criticized the Washington Jewish Week's lukewarm review of the show because it pointed out that the female character, dubbed a "shiksa [non-Jewish] goddess" dresses in a very slovenly way. I happen to agree with the WJS reviewer--even though the character was in her twenties, I assume, at the beginning of their relationship, the actresses I know dress with flair and style and a little pizzazz. Joel is fiercely loyal to a show he loved, and I admire that.
The Washington Jewish Week's review, by Lisa Traiger, did say the show was "perfect for this age of alienation and disorientation."
The review continued: "It's an intriguing concept driven by the music, which, in the hands of writer-composer Brown, features an unabashedly melodic score borrowing freely from the genres of pop, folk, classical and jazz. Brown's work is certainly worth a listen; he's smart, funny, poignant, refreshing, and he's trying assiduously hard to avoid the sound-alike syndrome to which so many post-Golden Age musical composers fall victim."
The show is worth seeing for the music alone. But it, like the characters' relationship, needs a bit of work.
The WJW review is online at: http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=3706&SectionID=27&SubSectionID=25&S=1
If this link doesn't work or is too long, go to http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com and search for "MetroStage."
It reminded me at times of Steven Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," which begins at the end and rolls, merrily, backwards, until the characters at the end are young and idealistic. You see the choices they make and how things might have gone differently for the main character. Despite yourself, you leave on a hopeful note, because the characters at the end were so hopeful. I wish this show had ended hopefully. The scenes were just ordinary scenes from their relationship (one hilarious audition song for the heroine; one romantic fable from the hero) and I was hoping they'd reconcile or something if their paths ever crossed after he proposed.
These are weaknesses in the book. The music was wonderful and the musicians were superb. MetroStage attracts such fine musicians! I saw "Three Sistahs" there and the music still resonates with me (again, the ending needed to be re-written, but the music, acting and staging were perfect). The mikes bothered me at first (MetroStage is so small--do they really need mikes?) but I know how annoying it is, particularly for older people in the audience, when they can't hear, so I'd rather see the mikes than miss a line.
They say it's not what you do, but who you do it with. I was with wonderful people and was so grateful to be taken to such a musical evening, far from a Metro, despite the theater's name. I guess the lawyer/editor in me is always re-writing and revising the book. I know the Ushers saw the show---I wonder what they thought of it.
Speaking of the Ushers, Joel Markowitz criticized the Washington Jewish Week's lukewarm review of the show because it pointed out that the female character, dubbed a "shiksa [non-Jewish] goddess" dresses in a very slovenly way. I happen to agree with the WJS reviewer--even though the character was in her twenties, I assume, at the beginning of their relationship, the actresses I know dress with flair and style and a little pizzazz. Joel is fiercely loyal to a show he loved, and I admire that.
The Washington Jewish Week's review, by Lisa Traiger, did say the show was "perfect for this age of alienation and disorientation."
The review continued: "It's an intriguing concept driven by the music, which, in the hands of writer-composer Brown, features an unabashedly melodic score borrowing freely from the genres of pop, folk, classical and jazz. Brown's work is certainly worth a listen; he's smart, funny, poignant, refreshing, and he's trying assiduously hard to avoid the sound-alike syndrome to which so many post-Golden Age musical composers fall victim."
The show is worth seeing for the music alone. But it, like the characters' relationship, needs a bit of work.
The WJW review is online at: http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=3706&SectionID=27&SubSectionID=25&S=1
If this link doesn't work or is too long, go to http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com and search for "MetroStage."
