Riveting Musical Brought to Artists' Exchange

“The Last Five Years” is a one-act musical written and composed by Jason Robert Brown. It takes the audience into the world of Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hyatt, a struggling actress.

The DAVE Project has brought the performance to the until the end of the month.

Jamie and Cathy are both living in New York when they meet, fall in love, and get married. Their relationship blossoms and then dwindles within the span of five years. The unconventional structure of the musical makes the character's journeys riveting to watch.

As Jamie begins telling the story from the beginning of their relationship, Cathy begins at the end when they have fallen out of love. The characters perform interchanging songs as they make their way through their story. They only meet once in the middle of the play while at their wedding.

Jamie Wellerstein is played by veteran actor Michael Tuck and Cathy Hyatt is played by Alyssa Gorgone, Executive Director of The DAVE Project.

“It’s very interesting as an actor,” said Gorgone. “You’re used to telling the story forward.”

“The Last Five Years” contains little dialogue, only intermittently in songs will a character begin to speak, but they never speak to each other. The songs alone are what drives the play from beginning to end. 

“I think what’s interesting is the range of emotion,” Tuck said. “You’re given this one song and you are the only one driving the action. It was a lot easier for me to jump into the music because the music itself tells the story.”

The DAVE Project was founded in honor of David J. Gorgone, whose passion for the performing arts and love for arts education fuels the company.

“The company exists with the aim of educating all who want to learn about theater and music who may not be able to achieve the desired level of education in their respective public schools, and who may not be able to afford a school with a specialization in performing arts.”

DAVE is an acronym that stands for Dedicated Artists for the Vitality of Arts Education. The DAVE Project has visited schools and performed around the state.

“We think that it would be great to have professional actors teach these kids in their classes,” Gorgone said. 

“The Last Five Years” takes you on an emotional journey as the characters evolve within the confines of their lives. At its core it is a drama with many doses of comedic relief added in.

The play will be performed July 8^th through the 31^st. All Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8pm. Sunday performances will begin at 2pm. Tickets are $29 for general admission and $20 for students.