Based on the failed marriage of writer and composer Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is a painfully realistic portrait of a relationship running its course. From the opening song, “Still Hurting,” to the final scene’s goodbyes, Cabrillo Stage’s production of the Tony Award-winning one-act musical keeps the audience feeling connected, enough so that on opening night, viewers rewarded the cast with a standing ovation.
Heartfelt performances by Cabrillo Stage veterans Andrew Ceglio (Jamie Wellerstein) and Ariel Buck (Catherine Hiatt), a real-life couple, reveal two people dealing with temptation, betrayal and guilt. The show also explores the corrosive effects of jealousy and insecurity; Cathy, who’s waging an uphill battle in the acting world, has trouble celebrating Jamie’s writing victories. The story employs an unorthodox storytelling technique by unraveling two separate perspectives that range over the course of five years and overlap in the middle of the show: Cathy begins at the end of the relationship and moves backwards in time, while Jamie starts when he first meets Cathy and moves forward chronologically. Although this structure may be at bit confusing at times, it provides an interesting contrast of perspectives throughout the relationship.
Under the direction of Mollye Maxner, the two principals excel—Buck with her Judy Garland-worthy voice and graceful acting and Ceglio as the ego-swollen Jamie with his highly animated style and comic instincts.
With musical direction by Michael J. McGushin, the live ensemble provides outstanding support. The Latinesque piano in “Shiksa Goddess” underscores Jamie’s excitement about starting something new with Cathy, and in “The Next Ten Minutes” the strings (especially the violin) perfectly accompany Jamie and Cathy, who, optimistic about their future together, waltz under blue lights, never suspecting what comes next although the audience knows all too well.
THE LAST FIVE YEARS runs through Sunday, Aug. 14 at the Cabrillo Crocker Theatre, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos. Tickets $16-34. www.cabrillostage
