The Last Five Years

Back in April, my friend Lisa came for a visit. We don't get to see each other very often, even though she's my best friend from university and I miss her dreadfully when she's not around. She's one of those people who honestly just make me happy by their very presence. She told me about a show happening in Toronto in May, and that I had to see it with her.

Theatre is still my first love, but I rarely get to indulge myself anymore. When she decided it was my birthday present and she was taking me, I couldn't say no.

So last week I drove down to the Toronto Centre for the Arts. There, in the studio theatre, a new company called Angelwalk Theatre was presenting their second show: The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown.

It was everything Lisa told me it was: touching, sad, funny - altogether just a really good show. It's a two-hander: not something I'm used to seeing in musicals. It tells the story of a relationship from beginning to end, and from end to beginning all at once. Cathy tells her side of the story from the end and works backwards; Jamie tells his from the beginning to the end. The only song they sing together is "The Next Ten Minutes", which comes at the very middle of the show and shows their wedding.

Of course, I'm late now in posting this, since the show ended last weekend, but I wanted to congratulate Angelwalk Theatre on a great show, and encourage any GTA theatre-goers to check them out next season. If their next shows are as good as this one you'll be in for a wonderful evening.

In the meantime, here's a clip of the actress, Sherie-Rene Scott, who portrayed Cathy in the off-Broadway production, singing the song that's been stuck in my head since last Thursday night. The soundtrack is available, and I really recommend checking it out.