Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre is continuing its stream of gutsy productions with the musical The Last Five Years. Written by Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years premiered in Chicago in 2001 and has since grown in popularity, showing around the world.
“What’s special about it is the story documents five years in the journey of a relationship,” says Julie McIsaac, director of Blue Bridge’s production of The Last Five Years. “The characters’ names are Cathy and Jamie, and you get this way of meeting, falling in love, and then the struggles that ensue.”
McIsaac says that what makes The Last Five Years interesting is that the story runs on two different timelines.
“Kathy’s story is told from the end of the relationship back to the beginning,” says McIsaac. “Her story starts with, like, the heartbreak of the breakup, and then goes backward in time all the way back to their first meeting. Whereas Jamie’s does the opposite—his timeline starts with their first date, and then moves forward. So, you get this really cool intersection of the two timelines.”
We often think timelines have to be linear, says McIsaac, but human experience is much more complex.
“You can be in a moment, and you can be thinking about the future, and be sort of caught up in the past in the very same moment, so the way time and memory actually work is a lot more complicated,” she says. “I love that this piece shows us these two timelines.”
McIsaac is excited about this production, particularly the unique twist that the cast is hoping to achieve.
“The way it’s originally conceived is that the only time the two characters meet up is in the middle of their story, but we’re doing something a little different, where they are both on stage throughout the entire piece,” she says. “It’s very exciting; it’s new.”
McIsaac says that she feels the musical is really well crafted.
“The composer himself is an incredible pianist, so the piano parts are really cool, but we also have a violin and a cello helping us to tell the stories. We will also have the band on stage with us, at the Roxy,” says McIsaac. “It’s been really fun working with live musicians, as well as the two singers. It’s very exciting.”
McIsaac also appreciates the actors she’s working with and what their experiences will bring to the production.
“Cheyanne Scott is going to be playing the role of Cathy,” says McIssac. “I worked with Cheyanne before in Children of God, which is a new Canadian musical about the residential-school experience. I’ve always admired her work, and I’m looking forward to working with her on this different capacity. Seth Zosky is playing the role of Jamie; he is someone Victoria audiences don’t know, as he is based out of Toronto. Seth is Jewish, as is the character of Jamie; we felt it was important to bring in an actor who has that lived experience, who understands that culture, because it is sort of imbedded in the character.”
The plot takes place after hours at a wedding, says McIsaac.
“There will hopefully be this element of romance and whimsy when you walk into the Roxy.”
This is McIsaac’s first time working with Blue Bridge after seeing many of their shows and hearing a lot about them over the years.
“I have such a love of musical storytelling,” says McIsaac, “and I’m thrilled it’s working out.”
The Last Five Years
Various times,
Tuesday, August 1
to Sunday, August 13
Various prices,
Blue Bridge Theatre
bluebridgetheatre.ca