Higginson and Lynch
The London revival of The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s two-hander musical, has received near universal acclaim. The production opened in March before the West End shutdown, then reopened October 5 with socially distant measures at Southwark Playhouse. For the record, the cast includes Molly Lynch (Cathy) and Oli Higginson (Jamie), with book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Jonathan O’Boyle, music direction by George Dyer, choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane, set and costume design by Lee Newby, lighting design by Jamie Platt, and sound design by Adam Fisher. The production was filmed by stream.theatre and will be available for streaming November 26-29.
British Theatre (Ray Rackham) 5 of 5 stars. Such is the success of this re-rendering, it is nigh on impossible to see the seams between staging, music and performance; so what is delivered is a rich tapestry of actor-musicianship that even goes some way in challenging the norms of that, already nuanced and alternate way of story-telling through song. … There will have to be a pretty special piece of theatre to topple it off its well-earned pedestal.
The Independent (Ava Wong Davies) 4 of 5 stars. Brown’s score remains sprightly and fluid, his book filled with deftly amusing lyrics, and it’s all performed with rich gusto. … Higginson and Lynch are armed with a veritable boatload of talent and charisma – the megawatt, star-making kind. … It’s a piece as much about love as it is the disappointments of growing older — of that encroaching fear that one’s life might just be mediocre. This production is anything but.
London Theatre (Matt Wolf) 5 of 5 stars. Maybe it’s just our current thirst for theatre in whatever form. … Whatever the reason, the production this time around possesses a newfound emotional amplitude that is something to behold. … The Last Five Years is more than fine: for the first time in my experience of a much-produced show, the characters’ giddiness and desolation, their rapture and heartache, propelled me tearily into the night.
TimeOut London (Andrzej Lukowski) It’s a terrific production from director Jonathan O’Boyle, reuniting his two original cast members. Lynch is excellent as the more sympathetic of the pair. … Jamie is a self-regarding idiot. Higginson conveys that, but he does so with a lusty rock star charisma that almost steamrollers your objections. … If there are more enjoyable things you can do while wedged inside a see-through plastic box, I hope I get to experience them.
Variety (David Benedict) The production takes every opportunity to use music to flesh out the drama. In the penultimate sequence … Lynch lifts a mallet and powerfully strikes a tubular bell. It’s as arresting an image of the two of them as characters as it is musically effective. The Last Five Years will always be more of an ambitious song cycle than a fully-fledged musical, but this smart production with its suitably young cast … makes the best case for it.