Last Five Years

#1

Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:36pm

Completely unfamiliar with the show...the story goes backwards and forwards, correct? Is there dialogue?

#2

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:40pm

There is some dialogue, yes... well, sorta. You only hear one half of it at one time, in the form of monologues. Jaime's part of the story moves from the first date through the divorce, Kathy's part is in reverse. It's a truly wonderful piece, I highly recommend the cast recording (which has all of the music, but omits some of the monologues.

#3

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:50pm

Yes, I'm told it's a great piece. It certainly sounds intreguing...

#4

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:50pm

i thought there was NO dialogue

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I'll have them clawing at eachother, like drag queens at a wig sale"

#5

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:54pm

As I said, there is, but you only hear one side of it (they are monologues). To use an example, Jaime talks on the phone with Kathy at one point - you just don't hear Kathy.

#6

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:56pm

It's not my style of musical at all, but I adore it. I'd reccomend it to anyone.

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Theatre is a safe place to do the unsafe things that need to be done. -John Patrick Shanley

#7

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 9:59pm

The entire show is musically gorgeous - it has to be one of my favorite musicals of all time. And my favorite musical theatre love song of all time (The Next Ten Minutes) comes from it - it's the only song they sing together, but something I was never clear on - do they actually ever SPEAK to each other before, during or after?

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Gangway, world, get off of my runway.
- Mama Rose, Gypsy

A bird cage I plan to hang,
I'll get to that someday...
A bird cage for a bird who flew away
Around the world.
- Edie, Grey Gardens

#8

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 10:07pm

I think the whole show is absolutely fabulous. The Cast Recording is a must have. Kathy's story starts at the end of their relationship and goes back to the beginning. Jamie story starts at the beginning and ends at the end if their relationship.

Updated On: 8/5/07 at 10:07 PM

#9

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 10:08pm

They only ever speak to eachother during 'The Next 10 Minutes.'

This is one of my favorite shows ever.

#10

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 10:16pm

I love the score. I have not seen a production.

#11

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 10:23pm

There is no dialogue between the two characters. Cathy's story starts at the end of their relationship to after their first date. Jamie's story begins after their first date and moves to the end of their marriage. The only song where they are in the same time frame is "The Next Ten Minutes." This is my favorite musical and I cannot tell you how many times I've listened to the score. It's absolutely gorgeous. Let us know what you think!

#12

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 11:10pm

I've seen the show performed three times by three different companies, and each time I have found something new and intriguing to notice. There are so many little connections to make, it's really interesting to watch and listen to multiple times. I find something new every time. And each production I have seen has brought out a different aspect of it.

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"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife

#13

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/5/07 at 11:16pm

I fell in love with this show. Absolutely wonderful!

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BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!

#14

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 12:35am

I absolutely love the cast recording! I'm dying to see some sort of production of this show, but it seems no one in Florida is doing it. =(

#15

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:01am

The brilliant thing about "The Next 10 Minutes" is that they're not even in the same time frame for the entire song. Cathy asks questions in the end that Jamie answers in the beginning. So brilliant.

#16

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:13am

I love the whole show, but one of my favorite little things about it is how each character, at one point another, sings the lyric "just keep rolling along." I've always assumed it's a reference to Merrily We Roll Along, sort of an homage to an earlier musical with a similar... not schtick, but... conceit, I suppose.

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"Why, I make more money than... than... than Calvin Coolidge! PUT TOGETHER!"
~Lina Lamont


My name wasn't, isn't, and will never be Scott.

#17

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:56am

Wasn´t there a "whose fault was it" thread long ago? I ´can´t find it.

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Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

#18

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 10:34am

I love this show. Saw it 10 times, with Sherie and Norbert and could have seen it 10 more.

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(formerly bronte604) "You really just love money and power and capitalism? You know they're never going to love you back." "Things happen for the best...I don't even believe that myself."

#19

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:11am

Wasn´t there a "whose fault was it" thread long ago? I ´can´t find it.

There have been a couple. One was really good.

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"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife

#20

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:30am

I saw it's premiere in Skokie (North of Chicago) with Norbert and- oops I can't recall it played Kathy! But it was great. It was very well-received here and went on to New york. The funny part was that they took questions after and literally the first question was "Why didn't they talk to each other?" It reminded me of reading an interview with Hal Prince about "Merily" where he talked about audiences not understanding it ran backward.

The second question was about why they felt it necessary to have "Nudity" in the show- I guess that's what happens when you preview in Skokie.

#21

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:43am

Lauren Kennedy.

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"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife

#22

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:46am

I also saw it in Skokie. Lauren Kennedy was Cathy.

I don't recall any nudity - just Norbert with his shirt off for the beginning of "Nobody Needs to Know".

The spoken segments are:

Jamie taling to a publisher on the phone(twice) during "See, I'm Smiling"

Jamie talking to a friend on the phone before "Moving Too Fast"

Cathy talking to an agent on the phone in the middle of "Moving Too Fast"

Jamie talking to Cathy on the phone in the middle of "Climbing Uphill"

Jamie reading an exerpt from his novel after "Climbing Uphill"

#23

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 12:17pm

Yes- Norbert was seen pulling on his pants shirtless. That was the "Nudity" that so appalled the blue-hairs. Lauren Kennedy- thank you! She was very good.

#24

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 2:06pm

There is a production going on right now very close to L.A. for anyone who lives out here. Great show in a small theater. They really get to the emotional core of the show. I was crying at the end!

#25

re: Last Five Years

Posted: 8/6/07 at 2:58pm

If you're going to plug a show, at least do the legwork for us and give us a link to the theatre.

Very close to LA is ??????