THE LAST FIVE YEARS Reviews- Page 3

[Melissa25]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 6:50pm

It's on TDF now for 4/10,11,15,16,20.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 9:39pm

Video of the speech 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1ju1wje/the_last_five_years_opening_night_full_curtain/

Updated On: 4/7/25 at 09:39 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 10:13pm

The show only had four positive quotes to post on Instagram. I think this was missed last night

NY Sun

A Tony Winner, Adrienne Warren, and a Pop Star, Nick Jonas, Lead Belated Broadway Debut of Jason Robert Brown’s ‘The Last Five Years’

 

One reason it may have taken so long to bring this musical to Times Square is that it’s essentially a chamber piece. Only two characters are represented on stage, and even the more upbeat songs tend to have an almost confidential feel.

https://www.nysun.com/article/a-tony-winner-adrienne-warren-and-a-pop-star-nick-jonas-lead-belated-broadway-debut-of-jason-robert-browns-the-last-five-years

[Werkkkkkkk888]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 10:22pm

MemorableUserName said: "The show only had four positive quotes to post on Instagram. I think this was missed last night

NY Sun

A Tony Winner, Adrienne Warren, and a Pop Star, Nick Jonas, Lead Belated Broadway Debut of Jason Robert Brown’s ‘The Last Five Years’



One reason it may have taken so long to bring this musical to Times Square is that it’s essentially a chamber piece. Only two characters are represented on stage, and even the more upbeat songs tend to have an almost confidential feel.

https://www.nysun.com/article/a-tony-winner-adrienne-warren-and-a-pop-star-nick-jonas-lead-belated-broadway-debut-of-jason-robert-browns-the-last-five-years"


Not saying it’s impossible for this production to get good reviews, but after everything I’ve learned about publicists from the Blake Lively Justin Baldoni lawsuit… I’m super skeptical about the good reviews of this production. I saw it myself and can’t understand how a professional reviewer can’t see how fundamentally mismatched they are. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 4/7/25 at 10:58pm

MemorableUserName said: "Video of the speech 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1ju1wje/the_last_five_years_opening_night_full_curtain/"

Woof. He could have said "Thank you Whitney White, also DEI is great.", which is what I think he intended, but this is a real "Oh, that's not/in the sense that-" moment.

[Sammy232]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 7:34am

Alex Kulak2 said: "MemorableUserName said: "Video of the speech

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1ju1wje/the_last_five_years_opening_night_full_curtain/"

Woof. He could have said "Thank you Whitney White, also DEI is great.", which is what I think he intended, but this is a real "Oh, that's not/in the sense that-" moment."

Just watched and this is awful. He also throws Daisy Prince under the bus, basically I thought you'd be more popular as a director but lucky for me you aren't.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 8:14am

Worse is that he kept everyone captive for 12 entire minutes.  That would be fine if Sondheim, but 12 minutes of Jason Robert Brown talking goes a LONG way. 

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 8:26am

Oh wow that was excruciating. How many times did he say DEI was designed to make his like “harder” and was a “challenge”? 
 

I know what he was going for but basically that entire part of the speech is him low key admitting he doesn’t really have the desire to work with people of color (or perhaps even female directors at all) without someone “challenging” him to do so.

So he basically makes it sound like having Whitney direct (and, unspoken, having Adrienne as Cathy) was the result of someone saying “well if we do this we should maybe include black women”.
 

Instead of the more organic “We’re going to do this, who is right for it?…Hmm maybe some folks wouldn’t normally pick Whitney or push back against casting Adrienne given the part, but they be great and we should go for it in spite of that”.

 

Super icky. How deeply uncomfortable for them. What a way to ruin opening for your fellow artists. 
 

Not to mention that on top of that I am 100% certain we’d have heard of Whitney White without someone challenging Jason Robert Brown to have a black woman direct his show, lol. She’s been grinding for years and on the rise and has built up her own formidable reputation.

 

He really should have planned out his speech before. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 8:31am

Agreed on all counts regarding the speech. Messy messy messy. Just when he’d dug himself a hole, he went and dug a hole for the hole. 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 9:38am

I think I’ve realized the other thing about this show is while the score is wonderful to listen to, when you’re watching the show EVERY song is a meal so you kinda feel stuck watching a 4 plus minute set piece over and over to diminishing effect.

Why the great belted stand-alone numbers soar in other musicals is cause they’re cushioned by other songs that don’t reach the same heights so when they happen they’re a treat. 

Every Last 5 Years song has an exciting thrilling peak so it doesn’t make any of them pop out as THE one, except The Next Ten Minutes cause it’s the two of them singing for the first time.

 

[Voter]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 9:44am

Would anyone be so kind as to share a gift link to the NYTimes review (and one for Boop as well if it isn't too much to ask)? Thank you a million times over.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 9:53am

Voter said: "Would anyone be so kind as to share a gift link to the NYTimes review (and one for Boop as well if it isn't too much to ask)? Thank you a million times over."

How ‘The Last Five Years’ Became a Blur on Broadway

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/theater/last-five-years-broadway-nick-jonas-adrienne-warren.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-E4._5fx.UHI3nMAj4TYe&smid=nytcore-android-share

"Boop" review posted as well.