THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Off-Broadway) - Previews- Page 3

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 3/15/13 at 11:28am

Playbill.com reporting it's now extended to May 12 due to "extremely high ticket demand"

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 3/15/13 at 11:29am

^^ Link

http://playbill.com/news/article/175963-The-Last-Five-Years-Gets-Second-Extension-Prior-to-Off-Broadway-Opening

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/15/13 at 11:32am

I know that Second Stage has a season and everything but who cares about seeing The Tutors when we could see L5Y over and over?

Also I find it hard to believe that no one has tried rushing. Where's the info?

[theaterfan862]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 5:00pm

I bought tickets for April 23!!! Very excited about it!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 9:45pm

Has anyone else actually seen the show? Haha...for a highly-anticipated production, the reports on it have been scarce. I'm going on Tuesday and I'm very excited.

[mschwager]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 9:51pm

I saw it. Amazing. I'm on my phone otherwise I'd elaborate here, but I reviewed it on my blog. http://upstage-left.blogspot.com if you want to hear my thoughts

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 12:54pm

Saw the show last night. Wow. I mean, it really is an almost perfect production of the show, in so many ways. Betsy and Adam were great, really well cast. I had some doubts about Adam but he really did hold his own and his voice was great on the score. There were a few moments that he would go into riffing-land and it didn't really feel organic to the character, so that was mildly distracting, but overall he was just great. I didn't feel that it was really unbalanced in the Betsy/Adam aspect, but Betsy really did steal the show with her hilarious "Summer in Ohio". She was everything you'd want from Cathy, goofy and charming and hopeless and heartbreaking. I will be very, very disappointed if there's no cast recording because it was MORE than that good.

I'm surprised someone earlier commented on a lack of chemistry, because I thought they had great chemistry together. Maybe they've improved over the past week or so.

Anyway, if you miss this, you will really, really regret it.

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 1:09pm

This needs another weeks extension, because we're not getting to New York City until May 16 or May 17....

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 2:18pm

Seriously, no one has tried to rush this thing? I highly doubt it. A report would be nice...

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 2:22pm

Well, I've heard rush has been pretty limited. Honestly, if you want to see the show, just pay the 34$ for a youth ticket if you're under 30. Seats were great and no drama about waiting around.

Last night, I did see ushers showing "rush" people to their seats right before curtain. Most seemed to be seated in the boxes, with 1 or 2 in the back of the orchestra, just to give a vague idea of what the seats seem to be.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 2:36pm

Thanks, Kelly2. I do have a couple youth tickets. I was going to try a Wed matinee and hope it wasn't that crowded. Spring break might be an issue now though come to think of it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/18/13 at 2:41pm

I'm going tomorrow and am very excited!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/19/13 at 10:13pm

Well...what is arguably the best musical production of the season is now running at 2ST. If you can manage to snag a ticket to this, do it. This is a really special production of a really special show.

I love THE LAST FIVE YEARS, while I do recognize it's flaws. Most of which are inherent in the entire premise of the way the story is told. But it's an ambitious, very enjoyable show, with a fantastic score. And the truth is, the show rises or falls based on its Cathy and Jamie. And I am happy to say that this production has two fantastic performers at its center. I have to completely disagree with the "no chemistry" comments, which simply may have subsided as the preview period has worn on. But I completely bought Wolfe and Kantor, both individually and together. They are, however, certainly a different Cathy and Jamie than Butz and Scott were and I appreciated that.

I've never been a major Betsy Wolfe lover and I was sorta worried about how she would fare in this production, but she is sensational. What. A. Voice. She finds new and refreshing nuances to Cathy that are really strong character choices and she sings this score so beautifully that it could make you melt. There was a moment tonight where she almost fell off of her chair during "Climbing Uphill." She yelped mid song, caught herself, didn't miss a beat, and in the next break, she mumbled (in character) "...embarrassing." She had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand, mishaps and all. Adam Kantor is wonderful as well and he has fantastic vocal control, but I wish he would cut the riffing down to a minimum. Don't get me wrong, he hits all of the right notes and sounds nice doing so, but there was a little too much riffing for my taste tonight. And then when he would get to the longer, sustained notes, he seemed almost out of steam. And vocally, he seemed to be mimicking Butz here and there. His acting, however, couldn't be better. I completely bought his Jamie's whole arc; he's charming and funny, but he also impresses when his storyline goes to a more melancholy place.

The show is directed with such a careful, beautiful, steady hand by Jason Robert Brown. There are minimal sets, which work very effectively and slide in and out for each sequence. The orchestra is set on varying levels at the back wall of the stage and they couldn't have sounded more lovely.

My issues with this production are largely nit-picky, because overall it's simply wonderful. The 90 minute running time passes so quickly, I was hoping JRB wrote a second act for this revival. I didn't want to go home! It's a very moving, very beautiful, and very charming production of a gem of a musical. I'm glad to hear it's selling so well and I wish this production nothing but success and great reviews. Updated On: 3/19/13 at 10:13 PM

[E.Davis]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 11:53pm

I saw it today and I share the same sentiments as the posters above me. It really is a perfect little production and so glad I decided to see this over Anne (I know). It really just must be in the writing, but Kathy doesn't get to be likable until "Summer in Ohio" and I can see how it is unbalanced in the beginning.

Rush works like this, you show up and they give you an orange ticket with a number on it. Today I was number 15 out of about 25ish. They tell you to line up in order of your number at 2:00 or and hour before and then they give out the tickets based on availability. I was little miffed because there was no one enforcing the numbers. When I go into the BO I ended up being the first person on the waiting list. Well sucks to be everyone else because I ended up getting front row right center and it was perfect. I seemed to have gotten the best deal because everyone else was in the back. Betsy sang to me occasionally and I just melted in my seat. What a day.

[center]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 12:08am

Thanks for the rush info! I've seen it once (courtesy a friend) and loved it so am dying to go again. To be 15/25, how early did you get to the box office?

[E.Davis]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 12:10am

I got to the box office around like 1:30 and that was only because I was coming from an audition and couldn't decided on what I wanted to do. I think at the end of it, the guy just sold me a youth ticket. I was very lucky to have gotten the seat where I was and thought there was an error. JRB was also in attendance at this afternoons performance.

[WestwardHoHo]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 12:21am

It was a little too jewish for my taste.

[center]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 8:30am

Aha, thanks, I guess it might take a few tries before I can get back in, but it's worth it!

JRB was pacing around the back of the house when I was there - guess there aren't so many places for the director to watch more surreptitiously during previews!

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 12:14pm

I saw it yesterday and thought it was one of the best things I've seen in a while. Both performers were excellent (Wolfe's "A Summer in Ohio" alone was worth the price of admission), the orchestra sounded incredible, and it was just nice to see a high-quality production of this very special show. I'm going to try to return before it finishes up its run, but if I don't, well, I'm just happy I got the opportunity to see it once.

[sr4mjc]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 3:32pm

Coming to NYC for a conference and the only evening I have free is a Monday. *cries*

[Patash]

Posted: 3/26/13 at 9:53am

I was surprised that I went online yesterday and found a great seat for tomorrow's matinee. I thought it was sold out. Guess not.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 3/26/13 at 10:46am

I went last Wednesday the 20th and though I liked the show, I didn't love it and find it to be perfect like most of you. Betsy seemed to be straining a lot of her belting, and it took on this very metallic sort of tone (I have no other way of describing it). She also seemed pitchy in quieter moments, especially those that followed the extremely loud moments.

I too felt like Betsy and Adam had little to no chemistry - that it was almost like watching them do cabaret or individual solo shows. They didn't really sell me on feeling passionately in love, ever, even in the middle. And I felt like I was expecting more emotion from Adam during "Nobody Needs to Know."

I really enjoyed the design and though that this is a great example of how projection can compliment and add to your production without overwhelming it. The musicians seemed wonderful (note: they have memorized ALL of the music, which in a JRB show is quite the feat) but the balance seemed a little off, but nothing they couldn't fix during the rest of the previews.

[WestwardHoHo]

Posted: 3/26/13 at 6:27pm

Is it true that his exwife gets paid when the show is put on?

[Patash]

Posted: 3/28/13 at 2:57pm

Well I went and loved the PRODUCTION. I was not familiar with the show itself (other than Summer in Ohio), and was less thrilled with it than most here seem to be. I left wondering why anyone thought these two characters had a shot at a good relationship, yet alone a marriage to begin with. They are both so self absorbed from the beginning (or the end if you want to look at it that way) that neither ever seems like even a decent match for the other. Or for that matter why either of them would even want to get married. And of course we don't really see the chemistry between them, since we don't see them together except for that one middle song -- in which they still are in their own worlds. It's a marriage proposal and the main conversations are "what's that building?" and "dinosaurs at the museum". Cute, but huh?

But yes, it is delightful music, the actors were wonderful, and the orchestra was simply sensational. Great staging. I just wish I had liked the actual "story" a little more -- or had a reason to care about these people.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/29/13 at 6:18pm

Is Lauren Molina involves in the show? In the latest interview with Jeremy Jordan about the movie, he mentions he's excited to see Adam Kantor and Molina.