It’s great to see Masquerade’s M Space in Msida slowly but surely establishing itself as a worthy alternative to the other better-known theatre spaces in Valletta. Their second offering in a busy programme for this season, the two-person musical The Last Five Years, is sure to go down very well with local audiences, particularly those fond of musical theatre.
The musical is entirely made up of a collection of excellent songs penned by the talented US musical theatre composer, lyricist and playwright Jason Robert Brown who has won various Tony awards for his work on the Broadway stage. Brown allegedly wrote the musical about his own failed marriage and the pain and heartbreak in the songs is palpable.
The story revolves around a couple in their mid-20s – Jamie is a young novelist whose star is on the ascendancy, while Cathy is an actress whose career is clearly not going places. The setting is New York, an apt backdrop for their very competitive artistic aspirations.
The timeline spans the entire duration of their relationship from their first encounter to their eventual divorce. What makes the storytelling interesting is that while Cathy tells her story starting from the end of the relationship and moves backwards in time, Jamie does the opposite by starting at the beginning of the relationship and moves forward chronologically.
The two stories intersect at the scene depicting their wedding day, where we see them both looking forward to an eternity of happiness together. While I found the concept intriguing, I felt it made it more difficult to develop the two characters, particularly because each character also features in the other character’s song, thereby necessitating very rapid changes in character from one scene to another.
Anthony Bezzina directed the show with great precision and a strong emphasis on the emotional tug of war that lies at the heart of the story. The parts of Jamie and Cathy were beautifully played by two rising stars in the local theatre scene.
Rachel Fabri was a great Cathy, quietly emotional in her heart-wrenching delivery of her opening song Still Hurting and hilariously comical in her excellent Audition Sequence. She was brilliantly paired with the ebullient Joseph Zammit who is definitely one of the most versatile actors of his generation.
Despite a pretty low key start on the first night, Zammit soon took complete charge of his role and inhabited the stage completely with his strong tenor voice and his ability to engage the audience’s attention.
Anthony Bezzina directed the show with great precision and a strong emphasis on the emotional tug of war
At one point we also get a glimpse of ‘the other woman’ who enters Jamie’s life at the peak of his success and precipitates the demise of their relationship. It’s a brief, non-speaking part, but a stronger stage presence from Clara Agius would have made this scene far more poignant.
The other protagonists of the show were the excellent group of musicians that accompanied the singers with their live music. Led by Jonathan Ellul, their playing was both tight and perfectly synchronised to the action. The musical numbers are an eclectic mix of klezmer, pop, classical and jazz and provided a kaleidoscopic musical backdrop to the contrasting emotions of the interwoven storylines.
Staging was kept simple but effective. Romualdo Moretti’s stage design with its multiple levels and minimal use of furniture was used to good effect and allowed a variety of scenes to be staged without the need for complicated scene changes. Less effective were the projections on the back and side curtains which really needed a flat surface to avoid distorting the visuals.
We are still in the first couple of months of this year’s theatre season, yet it’s already shaping up to be one of the most diverse and exciting for quite some time. Come June next year, this production will certainly be one of those remembered fondly by many as a highlight of this season.