Theater Review: “The Last Five Years” by Wilton Playshop

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The Wilton Playshop presented their production of “The Last Five Years” for only two performances at the beginning of June. Thankfully, I was able to access a video of the show so that I could review this unique musical.

“The Last Five Years” was written and composed by Jason Robert Brown and was a Drama Desk winner. The one act modern musical cleverly chronicles the five-year life of a marriage and is performed by only two actors.

The Last Five Years enjoyed an Off-Broadway revival at Second Stage in 2013 and a film adaptation was released in 2014, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

This is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically. The two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.

Some viewers might not appreciate this work because of the opposite trajectories of the story, but I have always found it to be both poignant and powerful, with just the right amount of comedic touches.

The Wilton production was directed by Joe Michaels who had a fine eye to the details of this challenging work. The director’s goal was to bring the emotions and complexities of the show to the forefront, and he succeeded. Sarah Lee Michaels, the executive producer at Wilton Playshop, was the music director of the numbers that range from ballads to pop to jazz. Robyn Mola was in charge of both lighting and audio, both of which came across relatively well on the recording that I viewed.

Natalie Michaels (pictured above) tackled the role of Cathy Hiatt and gave a strong performance both vocally and in capturing the struggling actress who also struggles in her marriage.

Michaels is a Manhattan-based singer/actress/puppeteer who took on one of her all-time favorite roles in the theater that practically raised her. She recently appeared in “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show” off-Broadway and on the National Tour. She is a Wake Forest University and National Music Theater Institute alum.

Dayo Garritano (pictured above) did extremely well in his Wilton Playshop debut with the comedic aspects of his character Jamie Wellerstein, who is an up and coming writer. With a wonderfully strong stage presence, he also brought the poignant aspects of his character to life. “Shiksa Goddess” was a highlight for me.

I have had the pleasure of watching Garritano grow up on local stages, always remembering his impressive singing voice. I saw him play Scar in the NewArts production of “The Lion King” back when he was in eighth grade.He played Archibald Craven in the Wooster School’s production of “The Secret Garden” (for which he earned a HaloAward for Best Lead Actor in a Musical) and I also caught his portrayal of Belle’s eccentric father Maurice in Trumbull Youth Association’s “Beauty and the Beast.” I am happy to see that Garritano and his strong singing voice is pursuing his BFA at the University of Connecticut.

There is some foul language in this script and would probably be a bit too hard to follow for younger patrons.

Up next at The Wilton Playshop will be “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” opening on Oct. 27. Viewing this production of “The Last Five Years” has encouraged me to try to get to this venue for the first time for an upcoming performance. The theater is located at 15 Lovers Ln. in Wilton.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.