“The Last Five Years” is a musical that promises an emotional unraveling of love and loss. However, walking out of the theater, I found myself more disappointed than moved, as the production was more underwhelming than emotionally overwhelming. However, the musical wasn’t without its highlights. There were some strong performances and heartfelt moments, but the overall impact didn’t quite land how I had hoped or expected.
Starting with the musical’s strengths, Adrienne Warren, as Cathy Hiatt, has a standout vocal performance. She is magnetic, especially in “I Can Do Better Than That,” which is a song that makes you root for her, even when her story doesn’t pan out as she had hoped. Her chemistry with Nick Jonas, who plays Jamie Wellerstein, is beautiful at times, and there are genuine sparks during their brief moments of joy. In “The Next Ten Minutes,” Jamie and Cathy sing together on their wedding night, which is a song that hints at the deep intimacy and eventual heartbreak of their relationship.
Musically, the show has a lot going for it. Overall, the orchestra was a joy to listen to. They were full of emotion playing the more melancholy ballads and upbeat melodies. That said, the sound balance felt off. From the balcony where I was seated, there were moments when the orchestra overpowered the vocals, especially during quieter or faster numbers. Aside from belts, lyrics were garbled, and Jonas was drowned out. It’s a shame, because this musical thrives on lyrics to push the plot forward, with no spoken scenes. Personally, losing those moments felt like the difference between being swept up in the story and feeling left behind.
The structure of “The Last Five Years” is ambitious and conceptually very interesting. Jamie sings his side of the story chronologically from beginning to end, while Cathy moves in reverse, starting after their divorce and ending at the hopeful beginning. It’s a clever device on paper, but it was occasionally confusing in practice. I wanted to feel heartbreak for Cathy, singing about how excited she was to know about a budding relationship after seeing how it ended, but I was apathetic. The show doesn’t do a great job of guiding the audience through this narrative device, and the emotional stakes are somewhat muddied because of it. I found myself Googling the plot summary on the train ride home, just to make sense of what I’d seen.
Visually, the production felt sparse. I expected a limited set due to the short runtime of the play, 14 weeks, which seems longer than I initially thought. However, even within those constraints, it felt like a missed opportunity. There were only vague hints at the setting. There was a song about Ohio telling us Cathy was in Ohio, a few scattered props like a bed and desk and some nondescript buildings in the corner of the stage. It all felt more like placeholders than storytelling tools, making connecting with the characters’ world harder.
As for the performances, Jonas doesn’t quite reach the emotional depths that the role of Jamie demands. His version of “Moving Too Fast” has energy and charm, but much of his performance lacks the complexity needed to make Jamie’s self-absorption and ambition feel real rather than one-note. Jamie comes across as narcissistic and self-righteous, and without more shading or nuance in the performance, it’s hard to care about him even as his marriage falls apart. I was happy that his relationship with Cathy had ended; she deserves better. “The Schmuel Song,” which is meant to be whimsical and warm, ends up feeling more like a detour from the musical than a highlight.
In the end, “The Last Five Years” left me a little cold. There are flashes of brilliance, mostly thanks to Warren’s powerhouse vocals and the raw beauty of the score. However, the uneven execution, both in staging and narrative clarity, made it difficult to feel the emotional gut-punch this show is capable of delivering. Rather than being an experience, it felt like 90 minutes I won’t get back anytime soon. I wanted to walk out heartbroken, emotionally invested in these two tragic lovers. Instead, I walked out confused and slightly disappointed.