Customer Reviews

The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

From the day I bought the Original Broadway Cast recording of "Parade," I have been a fan of Jason Robert Brown. Within two days of hearing "Parade" I had seen a college production and I had tickets to see the new JRB show, "The Last 5 Years," ordered (a great special made them ...). A friend and I went to see L5Y, and we were both completely blown away by the emotional honesty and musical beauty of this piece. (We also got to meet Jason Robert Brown after the show--he is an incredibly nice person, and fanatically devoted to his work.)

"The Last 5 Years," of course, is told backward and forward. Backward: Catherine starts at the end of the relationship in her haunting "Still Hurting" and gets to the beginning in "Goodbye Until Tomorrow." Forward: Jamie starts at the beginning with the hilarious "Shiksa Goddess" and reaches the end when he sings "I Could Never Rescue You," which makes the intertwined "Goodbye Until Tomorrow" so bittersweet it hurts.

Cathy's story is one of always trying too hard for little results, always pushing but to no avail. Sherie René Scott was beautiful when she sat on the pier in "See I'm Smiling," or on a huge pile of copies of Jamie's book in "A Part of That." She was radiant in "A Summer in Ohio," and her incredibly funny delivery in "Climbing Uphill" that had the audience in stitches is captured perfectly. There are no weird little cars, but believe me that "I Can Do Better Than That" had an illusion of motion that loses a little something when you take it out of the context of the show--but its delivery remains flawless.

Jamie is always overwhelmed, and he says as much in one of my favorite Jason Robert Brown songs, "Moving Too Fast." Then there's "Schmuel's Song," which is so tender it actually made me cry today. He becomes a bit less sympathetic as he goes on, but retains his bluntly honest feel in "A Miracle Would Happen." "If I Didn't Believe in You" is his last attempt to hang on to something good, and it's completely abandoned in "Nobody Needs to Know"--but both songs get to a deeper, harder-to-access person in Jamie than you want to think is there.

They also meet in the middle for "The Next 10 Minutes." It's a lovely song, but you miss more from the staging here: the way that Jamie's half of the rowboat conversation begins the piece is perfectly dovetailed when you later see Cathy's half...because they're both alone in the rowboat, but together for the wedding portion. (Ironically, it's scene 8...the one number that is the same forward and backward...)

Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie René Scott were without peer in the Minetta Lane, and they are the same way here. (Actually, I saw the show the day after this album was recorded--so the performances are extremely familiar to me.) It is a complex tale, and most of what you don't get is Jamie reading the story (excerpt?) printed in the back of the CD liner notes. Initially, it's easy to blame Jamie...but his case is presented so well by the end that it's hard to keep the finger on him. He's only human, as he finds out all too well. It's hard to blame Cathy or Jamie for their love's end...a very fitting message from this very delicately constructed human story.

The album sounds great and you get the intimate portrait of a love gone wrong in astounding detail. Jason Robert Brown conducts and plays piano (the orchestra was elevated inside of the large, strange disk that was the backdrop for the entire musical), and the music is just as beautiful as it was live.

If you liked one shred of "Songs for a New World" or "Parade," you need this CD. Jason Robert Brown is the greatest up-and-coming talent in musical theatre, and none of these CDs will disappoint the serious theatrical enthusiast. Give this CD a spin, and hope for a revival in the near future, 'cause you're going to want to see this one.

As the liner notes say, Jason Robert Brown has arrived. I have been a fan of "Songs for a New World" for a while, I was lucky enough to see "Parade" and love it on Broadway, and now The Last Five Years has come along. This CD (and I'm sure the show, though I haven't seen it) has so much going for it: a top rate cast in Butz and Scott, an intelligent book (I've heard the CD twice so far and I'm sure there are connections in the plots that I haven't caught yet), some truly beautiful songs ("The Next Ten Minutes" being my favorite), and some of the funniest moments I've heard in musicals, including "Urinetown" and "The Producers" (I dare you not to laugh at "Shiksa Goddess," "A Miracle Would Happen" or "Climbing Uphill.") Although I'm not entirely sure how "The Schmuel Song" fits into the story, you can't help but like the song and its hook. Butz's "Nobody Needs to Know" is very moving and very sad, all the while you keep thinking "It was inevitable." Brown captures the moment perfectly -- and notice the connection at the end of that song with the end of "Shiksa Goddess..." Another connection I loved, and I'm HOPING this was intentional, were the two times the leads say "Keep rolling along," a reference to the only other backwards musical I know of. Hopefully this show will be more successful than Merrily was, but Brown is certainly on the right path to have a career like Sondheim's. This is a fantastic CD -- you won't be sorry if you buy it.

Whether he meant to or not, when the score to Parade knocked down every standing wall around theatrical music, composer Jason Robert Brown made a promise to the Broadway community. He promised to breathe new life into a dying art form, to shake up that which took pride in being sedentary, and to make audiences reexamine everything they thought they knew about musicals. The Last Five Years keeps every promise made by Parade, and proves that Mr. Brown is more than capable of reinventing the entire genre of musical theatre.

L5Y is, at first glance, a very simple story: actress Catherine and novelist Jamie meet, fall in love, marry, have conflicts, and divorce over the course of five years. With so uncomplicated a plot, then, the characters must be incredibly complex and real in order to keep us interested in their lives, and fortunately for us, Mr. Brown specialises in creating a three-dimensional character in just one song. From the beginning, we know and understand these people and their underlying conflicts: Catherine is painfully insecure and needs Jamie's reassurance, Jamie is an egomaniac who needs Catherine's undivided attention. This is a gross oversimplification of these wonderfully vivid characters, but I would need much more space than allotted here to accurately describe them.

What takes L5Y beyond greatness and makes it a work of genius, however, is its presentation. Catherine tells her side of the story backwards, from the divorce to the first meeting. Jamie tells his side forward, from first meeting to divorce. This allows us to see patterns in their lives that might otherwise be hidden- for example, Jamie gets an eager agent and watches his career skyrocket, as we see that Catherine cannot even get her agent on the phone. Every song (save two) are solos, letting Norbert Leo Butz and Sherrie René Scott shine as individuals in their roles.

This excellent recording contains almost the entire show (on stage, it ran 83 minutes; the album is just a little shorter), including the long instrumental interludes in the middle of some songs. It is a true gift to experience such talent, and to hear it rising to still greater hights.

Of the various "new generation" of composers for the musical theatre, several have been acclaimed as the "best hope" for the survival of the genre which is such a vital part of popular theatre in America. With "The Last Five Years," Jason Robert Brown places himself securely at the head of the race for this title. Regretably, the show's run in New York has ended, far too prematurely. (I certainly feel fortunate to have seen it.) However, Sh-K-Boom's outstanding recording should assure this remarkable work of many future stagings throughout the country.

Brown's score for this unique two-character musical is superb. Repeated playings of the CD reveals a depth and a brilliance that might not have been apparent after one hearing in the theatre, which was enjoyable enough. The author creates motifs, not only in the music but in the lyrics as well, that weave in and out of the score, which, with a minimum of spoken dialogue, tells the tale of a couple's courtship, marriage, and divorce. But this show is a far cry from "I Do! I Do!" While the story of Jamie, the successful Jewish novelist, moves forward in time, that of the shiksa of his dreams, Cathy, the would-be musical theatre star who can't seem to advance past summer stock in the hinterlands, goes backwards. The songs alternate between the two characters, beginning with Cathy's wrenching "Still Hurting" at the couple's breakup, followed immediately by Jamie's elated "Shiksa Goddess" at their first meeting. There are only two duets, one when the opposite journeys intersect at the marriage (note how Brown unexpectedly works in the couple's "I do" into the intricately-constructed "The Next Ten Minutes"), and the other at the conclusion, where Jamie's "I Could Never Rescue You" counters Cathy's spirited but ironic "Goodbye Until Tomorrow." Every song in the show warrants praise. Singers looking for sensational audition material ("A Summer in Ohio," "Climbing Uphill" and the fabulous "I Can Do Better Than That" are three such for women) will be chomping at the bit for the music to be published.

The score is exquisitely performed by Norbert Leo Butz as Jamie and Sherie Rene Scott as Cathy. Both combine powerful, supple, flexible vocal delivery with outstanding acting, which comes across even though you can't see them. (Watching these exceptional performers from the second row at the Minetta Lane was indeed a special treat.) Worthy of note is the manner in which Ms. Scott, who is an incredible singer, is able to suggest that Cathy, the wannabe she plays, is not. (Cathy's pastiche audition song, "When You Come Home to Be," is yet another of Mr. Brown's remarkable creations.) The composer also demonstrates his mastery of the keyboard as pianist for this recording.

The quality that sets Jason Robert Brown apart is that, unlike some his contemporaries, he is not reluctant to write some nice, accesible (if you'll pardon the expression) MELODIES. Remember melodies? Those things showtunes used to have in abundance? And his lyrics are miles ahead of the generic, predictable rhyming which has become so commonplace in musical theatre today.

Get this CD, and when "The Last Five Years" comes to a theatre near you, go see it.

This recording has the intelligence and depth of the best of Sondheim's works.I have listened to it hundreds of times, and I still find it moving, very real, funny, insightful, and sharply intelligent. I am so glad that young people like Robert Jason Brown are writing for the musical theater. It makes me feel certain that the musical has a innovative futue,and will not turn into a genre whose days are over and can only be looked back on with nostolgia through revivals such as Kiss Me Kate and Music Man, or "new musicals" that don't have anything significantly new to say like The Producers. This musical depicts the growth and disintegration of a relationship over a period of five years, told from the past to the present from his point of view, and from the present to the past from her point of view. The two actors are superb. There is a poignancy in some of her songs that is heartbreaking. The music and orchestrations are original and very moving, and the lyrics are among the most intelligent I have met in the musical theater. The juxtaposition of the two points of view and the different angles in time, make a startling statement on relationships and the relative nature of our feelings. I really love this musical. If you enjoy musical theater that is new and different get this. The songs are on the same standard as "Songs from a New World", but the addition of one cohesive plot sung by two fully developed characters, makes this even better than that other wonderful cast recording by Jason Robert Brown. All in all, Bravo!

The Last Five Years is THE album of choice for me right now. It has enough little nuances in the orchestrations that I discover something new every time I listen. The voices of Norbert Leo Butz and Sheree Rene Scott are fantastic. The lyrics are at times heart wrenching, at times hilarious, and always profound. The premise of the show is pure genius. Two people look at their broken relationship from different perspectives: one starting at the end and back to the start. The other on the first date and ending reflecting. So good. Track by track, the album for me looks like this:

Still Hurting: An amazing, beautiful song for Sheree. This is a wonderful way to start the album... at the end. The relationship between the two characters has just ended, and it is impacting to hear the emotion in her voice, and anticipate hearing how things got that way.

Shiksa Goddess: Jamie (Butz) sings a song during his first date with Cathy (Sheree). This song is a great contrast to the previous one... very energetic and young. It really makes me sad to listen to these two songs back to back -- to hear the heartache in the one and the desire in the other. How did things get from point A to point B? Orchestrations in this one are extremely layered, and I notice different things every time.

See I'm Smiling: Another pretty, reflective song for Sheree. This one is not my favorite, but I still like it a lot. Sheree does a great job of portraying hope in this song... hope that there is a chance for their relationship. Very slow and moving...

Moving to Fast: ...Then WHAM! An even more energetic song for Norbert. He does SUCH a good job portraying a young 20-something in this song. The piano parts in this song blow me away every time. Such talent from Jason Robert Brown!

A Part of That: Sheree picks up the pace with her songs a bit here. Again, not my favorite. But her voice is AMAZING here. Also the slow piano in the background and the crazy fiddle solos are fantastic.

The Schmuel Song: UNBELIEVABLE!!! This song could quite possibly be my favorite show song ever. Norbert does an unbelievable job with the Schmuel accent. This is a long song, but never does it feel dragged out. There are so many different parts to this song. The story in the song is heart-wrenching, and when it is over I always feel a tug at my heartstrings.

A Summer in Ohio: Okay, the piano part here is just awesome. This is a jazzy song. And it's funny. Really funny. At first listen I was thinking "what just happened"? But after another listen I was rolling around laughing. Genius.

The Next Ten Minutes: This is the only part in the show where Jamie and Cathy are at the same point in time. It is a very well-written song and gorgeous. The orchestrations are wonderful and given a spot to really shine. The voices complement each other well.

A Miracle Would Happen/When You Come Home To Me: The first part of the song is sung my Norbert and is unbelievabably funny and brutal in it's honesty. The second part is sung by Sheree and is beautiful (once again). It's awesome to hear them going back and forth and really poignant to hear the differing views of what is happening in their relationship.

Climbing Uphill: Another super-funny song for Sheree. This one deals with the audition process that Cathy is going through and her frustrations involved with that. The music is fun and catchy and the lyrics awesome.

If I Didn't Believe You: A softer one for Norbert. I love this song. His voice is wonderful here, and it's easy to hear his desire to get things sorted out between them. The strings in the background are wonderful as well.

I Can Do Better than That: Sheree's song. Funny. Her voice really is beautiful. This song sounds country-esque (but not overly so). It's a gorgeous song.

Nobody Needs To Know: Norbert's song. Sad. Really sad. Another slow, wonderful song that showcases Norbert's ballad voice.

Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You: Another joint song (two songs sung one after the other). For Cathy, she is leaving Jamie's house after their first date. For Jamie, he is packing all his things. The song ends with both characters saying "goodbye" for entirely differently reasons - one looking forward and the other looking back. Makes me cry. And the piano and woodwinds are out of this world.

PLEASE GO BUY THIS ALBUM. You need it. It will impact you deeply. Not to mention the amazing talent all encompassed in one cd. A THOUSAND STARS.

This is worth buying just for Norbert Leo Butz, the same way Hero's Lulaby is worth buying for Rikki Lee Travolta. Norbert and Rikki Lee are two of the best voices in the musical theater genre and it is disapointing that there aren't more recordings of them. The Last 5 Years isn't going to go in the history books as ground breaking and it might not be a favorite in your collection, but I recommend you buy it just to have a piece of Norbert Leo Butz in your collection.

Jason Robert Brown has long been hailed as one of the guiding lights of the future of musical theatre, one of the torch bearers for the kind of intelligent, complex, and fascinating theatre that Stephen Sondheim has given us for the past few decades. Parade and Songs For A New Worlds certainly gave reason to believe this was true, but The Last Five Years is Jason Robert Brown's chamber musical magnum opus. Each and every song is tightly crafted, the lyrics are witty, insightful, and cut to the quick of the failing relationship that the show follows. The seamless blending of the two different versions of the story and the adeptness with which the composer goes from the despair of songs like Cathy's "Still Hurting" and "See I'm Smiling" as her and Jamie's relationship dies, to the hysterical "Shiksa Goddess" and "A Miracle Would Happen", which Jamie sings earlier in the relationship as he approaches their life together with a sense of hope that only youth and optimism can offer, is truly remarkable and better than almost anything else in the musical theatre canon.

Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Renee Scott manage to make both characters, despite their very apparent flaws and frequent mistakes, likeable and easily relatable. There is no clear villain here, and that is the heart break of the situation. These are two remarkable people who you wish desperately could work things out, and yet you see, as they do, that there is little to be done to save this relationship from it's inevitably depressing end. I won't kid you, if you listen to the CD the whole way through you arent going to be skipping around the house, all sunshine and roses, but you will be struck by the compelling honesty with which this all too common scenario is played out, both by composer and performers.

I saw this show during its world premiere at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, IL (a suburb of Chicago). If you haven't heard it, you can't understand how good the music is. If you haven't seen it, you have no idea what you're missing. This show is so good that it's physically painful. It's amazing to see the journey of two people from opposite ends (she goes from the end to the beginning, he goes from the beginning to the end). You never know the entire story until the end, when you've seen it through both pairs of eyes.
The show is entirely told through the songs, and mostly through solos. The characters only sing together once, and it is a truly wonderful moment of connection and beauty. Jason Robert Brown is an expert at telling stories through song, as those who know "Songs for a New World" can testify. Cathy's line "See, I'm smiling," in the song of the same name is loaded with the weight of a love gone awry. I'm so happy to have "The Schmuel Song" on CD finally, because for months after the production, my wife and I would go around singing "Na na na na, na na na na Schmuel, you get to be happy..." but we didn't know the rest. That's a beautiful moment in the show, as well, as Jamie tries to give Cathy permission to pursue her dreams, in spite of her lack of courage.
All in all, this show is incredibly human and incredible real, and is told by incredible actors singing some of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. Jason Robert Brown played in the orchestra at the production I saw, and my wife and I hung out at the stage door to try to meet him. He came out, and all I could manage was "...You're great!" I'm such an idiot!

I know that giving a three-star rating to a show people love is a sure way to pile up the "unhelpful"s, but here goes...

The Last Five Years is a work that promises more than it delivers. It starts brilliantly -- "Still Hurting" full of sorrow, "Shiksa Goddess" a great humor song with its list of acceptable Jewish girlfriends, and particularly "See I'm Smiling", with its awkward attempts at reconciliation, full of the over-explanation that goes on when you're scared you're no longer connecting, and the breakdown signalled by the brave "see I'm smiling" turning to the impatient, uncertain "well, whatever".

But after that I feel it loses its way. The writer seems more interested in the characters' careers than in their relationship. Jamie has "a woman I love/and an agent who loves me" and seems to think the two are equally important. Kathy wrings her hands about the relationship but never takes action; at the end (her start) she sings about her disdain for "a typical life on a town on the eastern shore", but we never get a view of the thing that's special inside her that would justify her snobbery. By the end of the relationship they're both sad because it's sad when a relationship ends, but it doesn't feel like either of them has genuinely lost or genuinely learnt anything -- Kathy even sings "maybe there's somewhere a lesson to learn", but she doesn't try to work out what it is. The "secrets" Jamie "doesn't confide" turn out to be that he's sleeping with his editor, not anything deeper or more personal.

I've still given it three stars, because it has a lot of merits. The lyrics are fresh and conversational; the music is full of memorable phrases and not afraid to jump, Evita-like, from point A to point G without going through any of the points in between. "The Next Ten Minutes" is a simple, dignified and personal declaration of love. "A Summer in Ohio" is one of the great recent comedy songs. I love musicals, and I'm not sorry I bought this; it made me think about what I like and don't like in shows. But I won't be listening to the whole album all the way through any time soon.