Encore Actors Gear Up for 'The Last Five Years'

Fresh off the heels of its wildly successful musical , the is continuing its season with the second of three mini-shows as part of its "Encore on the Edge" series.

Actors Steve DeBruyne and Thalia Schramm will take to the stage May 26 for a limited eight-show run of Jason Robert Brown’s two-person musical The Last Five Years.

The musical is a departure from the Encore’s previous repertoire and gives audiences an intimate look into the lives of two New York residents in their 20s who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show's unconventional structure comprises Cathy Hiatt (Schramm) telling her story backward, while Jamie Wellerstein (DeBruyne) tells his story chronologically.

“The two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show,” DeBruyne said. “It’s almost like watching two one-person shows at the same time.”

Despite recently ending a rigorous four-week run as Frankie in Forever Plaid, and with only eight days before opening night, DeBruyne said he is looking forward to performing again.

“I had a day to rest, and I enjoyed it, and now we have eight days before this show opens,” he said.

DeBruyne said he fell in love with the script after catching an off-Broadway performance soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I’ve wanted to sing and play the part of Jamie ever since I saw it,” he said. “The way the show is written is really beautiful.”

No stranger to the Encore, Schramm performed with DeBruyne this year in Little Women this year and in 2009’s Sweeney Todd.

“This is a deeply emotional show, and getting comfortable with the music so fast is challenging,” Schramm said. “Both of our characters go through a series of highs and lows in a period of 90 minutes, so it’s really well-written.”

Director and Encore Theatre co-founder Dan Cooney said seating has been rearranged for the show, with audiences sitting in front and in back of the stage, to add to the show's intimacy.

"It's concertesque," he said. "The set mainly involves levels, but you'd be surprised at how much it takes just to put in basic platforms that are safe and secure.

"For this show, it's the actors, the text and the music that make the magic," he said.

Cooney said audiences have responded positively to the new “Encore on the Edge” series.

“We’re doing some new and interesting stuff that’s really more for the Encore actors. To have this series supported by the public is very exciting,” he said.

As for why he chose the musical, Cooney said: “I think it’s a brilliant piece. The music is as good as it gets.”

The Encore’s production of The Last Five Years will run for eight performances only, May 26-June 5. Tickets, which cost $22 for adults and $19 for seniors and youths, are available now at theencoretheatre.org or by calling the box office at 734-268-6200. Performance times are May 26 at 7 p.m., May 27 at 8 p.m., May 28 at 8 p.m., May 29 at 3 p.m., June 2 at 7 p.m., June 3 at 8 p.m., June 4 at 8 p.m., and June  5 at 3 p.m.

The Last Five Years contains adult language and situations. Parental guidance is recommended for audiences younger than 16.