The Last Five Years at the Ensemble


great show terrific cast



THE LAST FIVE YEARS
ENSEMBLE THEATRE
APRIL 2019
A well considered and crafted production directed by Elsie Edgerton-Till ,The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown requires two people plus pianist . It originally premeired in 2002. 
The set is basically the black raised stage ( and note the two revolves which are used to distracting dizzying effect) with various props like a deck chair , flowers , bags, jackets , mobile phones and /or laptops etc .
We are in New York – Jamie (Christian Charisiou ) is an author whose career is suddenly taking off to the stratosphere , while Cathy is a struggling actor whose career  seems to have peaked playing summer stock “40 miles west of Cincinnati”..They fall in love and catapult into a relationship.
We see their romance from both perspectives: Jamie from the beginning of it looking to the future, Cathy looking backwards from its end .  Their stories overlap as we see the ups and downs , the exuberant joys and the heartbreak of the disintegration of their marriage  . They are often on stage together but only at one point do they really intersect.
What the show highlights is magnificent singing and acting with terrific musicianship by the wonderful cast.
Jamie ( handsome Christian Charisiou , who was in Cry Baby at the Hayes ) seems positively charming but reveals himself to be self centred , egotistical , arrogant and resentful among other things.  Charisiou at times oozes sexy charisma .Jamie’s story starts with ‘Shiska Godess’ in some ways listing everything  Cathy isn’t . Charisiou gives a splendidly multi layered  performance full of  physical and vocal intensity
Eventually we see how frustrated and caught in their marriage, Jamie slams Cathy with bitter words such as "I will not fail so you can be comfortable, Cathy, I will not lose because you can't win," and "I could never rescue you, all you ever wanted, but I could never rescue you, no matter how I tried “
Cathy ( Elise McCann – who played Miss Honey in Matilda) is warm, funny ,sweet , perhaps at times lacking in self confidence as she is worn down by the constant grind of auditions and rehearsals ( there is a funny sequence of repeated unsuccessful auditions) ) but very strong and resilient underneath . She begins with the relationship ending – ‘Still Hurting’. We see how eventually Jamie views her as too fragile and clingy – but is she ?  Both perform with incredible vibrancy,passion and skill at the top of their form.
Daryl Wallis , hidden up the back to the side of the audience ,  contributes with panache  on the piano and makes the most of the what could perhaps be regarded as a pastiche  of a score yet is very complex. Sondheim’s influence hovers in the background - it has a sound very typical of Broadway musicals and ranges from soft ballads to sharp splintery sections and fast ,tongue twisting segments.
An intimate passionately performed analysis of a relationship.
Running time 90 minutes no interval
The Last Five Years runs at the Ensemble 29 March – 27 April 2019
https://www.ensemble.com.au/synopsis-the-last-five-years/
·         Writer / ComposerJason Robert Brown
·         DirectorElsie Edgerton-Till
·         Musical DirectorDaryl Wallis
·         CastChristian Charisiou
Elise McCann








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