Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren to star in THE LAST FIVE YEARS Broadway Revival- Page 6

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/17/25 at 8:57pm

I’ll be excited to hear the new orchestrations and Adrienne Warren on the likely cast album. I’m less sure about Nick Jonas but I’m curious.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/17/25 at 9:27pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Looks like this production is one of those rare cases where the music director is not also the conductor."

It may simply be a title thing. Murray's role probably resembles that of a Music Supervisor, which often isn't the person conducting the show 8x a week.

Wonder if JRB will play/conduct the show from time to time?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/17/25 at 9:30pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "The original arrangements feel as definitive as the score, but I liked the ways he expanded the sound for the film adaptation, so I'm not too skeptical."

Yeah, I'm not skeptical at all. This allows for more subtle variations of the same musical colors. It's not like he added a brass section and a theremin.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/17/25 at 10:54pm

I can’t wait for this, regardless of how Joe is, I want to hear a black woman sink her teeth into this role. I was lucky enough to be at town hall for Cynthia. Yes, she needed more time for the lyrics (those prompters were massive and pretty distracting), but she simply killed it. A week of rehearsals and she would rival Sherri for the best Cathy ever. 

If anyone has access to a bootleg, please send 🙏 
 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/17/25 at 11:02pm

But Lauren Kennedy is the best Cathy ever. Just sayin'... ;-p

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 11:15am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "The original arrangements feel as definitive as the score, but I liked the ways he expanded the sound for the film adaptation, so I'm not too skeptical."

Yeah, I'm not skeptical at all. This allows for more subtle variations of the same musical colors. It's not like he added a brass section and a theremin."

True, but the percussion is where I'm most curious, as it played an important dramaturgical role in the original show:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

In the original orchestration, there are only two moments of percussion in the entire show. A cymbal roll in "The Next Ten Minutes", when Jamie and Cathy say "I Do", and a tubular bell in "Nobody Needs To Know", after Jamie has an affair. The percussion symbolizes both the beginning and the end of their marriage.

 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 11:36am

HenryTDobson said: "I still can't believe this is really happening, it feels so random."

Someone mentioned they’re trying to court random stars once these performers leave (like Little Shop), and the thing that makes this most like Little Shop for me is that both fit best off broadway. Not sure why this felt like it needed a Broadway theater. There’s not a whole lot of buzz around it from my theater people.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 11:39am

This strikes me as a much, much harder show to continually slot new people into than Little Shop. It's far more demanding and difficult to learn.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 11:47am

Kad said: "This strikes me as a much, much harder show to continually slot new people into than Little Shop. It's far more demanding and difficult to learn."

We won't know until we see the physical demands of the staging and choreography (the same choreographers as The Outsiders has me fascinated), but considering virtually every musical theatre actor in New York under 40 has at least one song from this show in their repertoire, I think it'd be something where you could regularly slot in other talent. Names that people would pay to see, on the other hand, probably not.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 11:59am

DramaTeach said: "Not sure why this felt like it needed a Broadway theater."

Nick Jonas. That's the only reason.

It will also be a relatively economical production and I doubt the show will feel lost in the Hudson.

Updated On: 1/18/25 at 11:59 AM

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 12:05pm

I'm interested to see how Whitney fares with this one. I've been watching her since before Jaja's and really disliked her direction with Walden at 2ST. So I'm definitely interested in her take on TL5Y. I liked her work a lot on Jaja's.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 12:14pm

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "I'm interested to see how Whitney fares with this one. I've been watching her since before Jaja's and really disliked her direction with Walden at 2ST. So I'm definitely interested in her take on TL5Y. I liked her work a lot on Jaja's."

Her work on Jaja's was exceptional.

I didn't realize until recently that she has a background as an actor in both plays and musicals. Appeared in regional mountings of Spring Awakening, Oliver, Rent, Passing Strange, and other musicals. So while I haven't seen her direct a musical before (how was her work on Secret Life of Bees in London?), this seems very much in her wheelhouse.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 12:19pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "Kad said: "This strikes me as a much, much harder show to continually slot new people into than Little Shop. It's far more demanding and difficult to learn."

We won't know until we see the physical demands of the staging and choreography (the same choreographers as The Outsidershas me fascinated), but considering virtually every musical theatre actor in New York under 40 has at least one song from this show in their repertoire, I think it'd be something whereyou could regularly slot in other talent. Names that people would pay to see, on the other hand, probably not."

I meant demanding in the sense that it's two people carrying the entire show, singing pretty lengthy, vocally demanding songs the entire time. Performers may know one or two songs, but... there's a lot of music there for two people, all of the recordings clock in at around 75 minutes. Seymour and Audrey are substantially lighter lifts.

 

Updated On: 1/18/25 at 12:19 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 12:51pm

Seymour & Audrey are not only lighter lifts, but they don't come with the pressure of selling 8,000 tickets a week and by now the roles have been given a variety of different interpretations (in this production alone) so there is not the worry of, like...having to step in to replace Bette Midler in Dolly or Radcliffe/Groff in Merrily or Scherzinger in Sunset.

[singer234]

Posted: 1/18/25 at 1:01pm

Updated On: 1/18/25 at 01:01 PM