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

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?

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 🙏 
 

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:

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.

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 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.

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.

The Last 5 Years on X: Your first listen of “Moving Too Fast” and “I Can Do Better Than That” from The Last Five Years starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren | Part 1

Can't say this has inspired any confidence or excitement in me for Nick Jonas' performance. He sounds about how I expected, except he seems to be putting on some sort of bizarre accent as well? Any word on his understudy..? Though to be honest, I'm not too impressed by Adrienne's singing in this either. 

Updated On: 1/22/25 at 09:44 AM

Ensemble1698878795 said: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel said: "The Last 5 Years on X: Your first listen of “Moving Too Fast” and “I Can Do Better Than That” from The Last Five Years starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren | Part 1

Can't say this has inspired any confidence or excitement in me for Nick Jonas' performance. He sounds about how I expected, except he seems to be putting on some sort of bizarre accent as well? Any word on his understudy..? Though to be honest, I'm not too impressed by Adrienne's singing in this either."

Adrienne sounds incredible in this clip. Nick seems to be straining a little. This show is gonna do very well bc it’s nostalgic for so many MT girlies."

I'm one of the "MT girlies" you're referring to. This has been one of my favorite shows for almost 20 years, and despite that, I have yet to buy a ticket. 

Neither of their voices sound real to me. Like they both sound like they're putting on an affectation. 

I was expecting to not like Nick’s vocals on this. I was not expecting to my reaction to Adrianne. I’ve loved her in everything I’ve seen her in, but there was something off in this clip. Almost like she was told to sing it more stylistically or something. It feels fake. But I trust her as an actress and trust that onstage she’ll come through. Can’t say the same for Nick, but would love to be surprised.

I don't know why I am so viscerally against a drum set in the orchestrations of this score, but I didn't like it in the movie and I still can't get behind it here.  Can't tell you why, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be.