Love goes to and fro in ‘The Last Five Years,’ up next from Constellation

Jason Robert Brown's beloved two-person musical captures intimate highs and lows of modern romance.

Following the success of Sue Jin Song’s one-woman show Children of Medea, Constellation Theatre Company presents Jason Robert Brown’s beloved two-person musical The Last Five Years as the second production in its Season 14: Electric Impulses. The production will be fully staged and filmed at CulturalDC’s Source Theatre using a dynamic multicamera setup and streamed online to audiences across the DC area and beyond.

A richly detailed portrait of a young couple’s tumultuous romance comes to life in The Last Five Years. Sparks fly when Cathy, a struggling actress, and Jamie, a novelist on the brink of wild success, meet as 20-somethings in New York — but growing ambition, egotism, and betrayal threaten to drive them apart. They each retrace their relationship from opposite ends, with Jamie moving forward and Cathy backward over the span of five years. Full of catchy, poignant songs performed by a live six-piece orchestra, The Last Five Years captures some of the most intimate highs and lows of modern romance.

The cast of ‘The Last Five Years’: Alex Stone (Jamie) and Adelina Mitchell (Cathy).

The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001. The Off-Broadway production in 2002 starred then-unknown performers Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz as Cathy and Jamie. The production won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics, as well as receiving Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Orchestrations, and Outstanding Set Design. Since then, The Last Five Years has ascended to musical theater cult classic status, inspiring an Off-Broadway revival at Second Stage in 2013 and a film adaptation starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan in 2015.

The Last Five Years will stream as Video On Demand June 22 to July 11, 2021. The Live Stream Opening Night will be June 12, 2021, at 8 pm. Tickets for both Live Stream Opening Night and Video On Demand viewing options may be purchased online at ConstellationTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (202) 204-7741.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

  • Constellation is thrilled to welcome back Adelina Mitchell in the role of Cathy. Mitchell is returning to Constellation after appearing in Season 13’s Little Shop of Horrors. She has performed throughout the DC area with Signature Theatre, Monumental Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, and the American Pops Orchestra.
  • Starring opposite Mitchell is Constellation newcomer Alex Stone as Jamie. Born and raised in McLean, Virginia, Stone recently graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, where he led productions of Mack and Mabel, Sondheim on Sondheim, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
  • Having previously directed our critically acclaimed productions of Scapin and Peter and the StarcatcherKathryn Chase Bryer returns to Constellation to direct this intimate musical. Bryer serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the nationally recognized children’s theatre Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, where she has been directing shows and producing scripts for over 25 years. She has been nominated for seven Helen Hayes Awards, winning Outstanding Director of a Musical in 2018 for Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure at Imagination Stage and again in 2019 for Fly By Night at 1st Stage.
  • Marika Countouris takes the reins as Musical Director after serving as the associate musical director on Little Shop of Horrors and playing in the orchestra pit for Aida. Select local credits include Monumental Theatre Company: Songs for a New World, Be More Chill, Daddy Long Legs, Brooklyn, Montgomery; NextStop Theatre Company: Beehive.
  • Tony Thomas returns to Constellation after having choreographed our productions of Aida and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Thomas is a two-time Helen Hayes nominee for Outstanding Choreography who has created movement for musicals and plays at Theater Alliance, Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre-MTC, Mosaic Theatre Company, and Studio Theatre.
  • A.J. Guban, Constellation’s Managing Director and Scenic & Lighting Designer, will create an abstract and transformational environment for the show’s shifting timelines. Guban has created 41 scenic designs and 39 lighting designs for Constellation, receiving seven Helen Hayes Nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design (The Wild Party, Avenue Q, 36 Views) and Set Design (Little Shop of Horrors, The Arabian Nights, Journey to the West, 36 Views).
  • A recent Helen Hayes Award winner for Little Shop of Horrors, Costume Designer Frank Labovitz returns to Constellation, where he previously designed The White Snake and The Skin of Our Teeth. His designs have appeared on many local stages, including Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and Pointless Theatre Company.
  • Gordon Nimmo-Smith’s sound designs have been heard at such companies as Keegan Theatre, Metro Stage, Spooky Action Theater, Flying V and Rorschach Theatre Company. In 2019, Nimmo-Smith was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Sound Design for his work on Constellation’s Caucasian Chalk Circle.
  • Constellation welcomes Properties Designer Pamela Weiner, whose work has been seen on stages across the DC area including Theater J, Signature Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center.

ABOUT ELECTRIC IMPULSES
Constellation Theatre Company invites you to embark on an epic adventure from the comfort of your home! In Season 14: Electric Impulses, we’ll use a dynamic multi-camera setup to film four full-scale productions in our intimate black box theatre. Audiences will be able to tune in for the Live Stream Opening Night of each production, which will feature additional content such as a special welcome from Constellation’s leadership and a post-show reception on Zoom with the cast and creative team. Alternatively, patrons may purchase a Video On Demand ticket to watch the filmed performance within a 72-hour window during a limited three-week run. Subscriptions begin at $69 plus fees and include tickets to both Live Stream Opening Night and Video On Demand viewing options for 2, 3, or all 4 shows in the season.

Season 14 will capture the electrifying energy, striking visual design, and intimate performances of a live Constellation production while keeping our audiences and artists safe. Other shows in the season include:

Moon Man Walk
by James Ijames
Live Stream Opening Night: Thursday, August 12, 2021 at 8 PM
Video On Demand Available August 26 – September 12, 2021
Live Performances: August 14 – 22, 2021

Angelisa Gillyard (Day of Absence at Theater Alliance) directs this otherworldly tale of memory and mourning that transports us to the moon and back. Spencer, an aspiring writer living in California, returns to his boyhood home in Philadelphia after the sudden death of his devoted single mother Esther. There, he stumbles upon a letter that shatters the elaborate fantasy Esther had concocted concerning the whereabouts of her son’s estranged father. Journeying through Spencer’s childhood memories as he reckons with the mysteries of his past, this sweet, soulful, and often surprising play reminds us that even in the darkest corners of the universe, love and light persist.

Mysticism & Music
an original story created by Tom Teasley, Chao Tian, Allison Arkell Stockman and A.J. Guban
Live Stream Opening Night: Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 8 PM
Video On Demand Available November 2 – 23, 2021
Live Performances: TBD

Music, movement, and spoken word merge in this world premiere piece inspired by sacred texts from around the world. Following their Helen Hayes Award-nominated collaboration on 2019’s The White Snake, the award-winning musical duo of Teasley and Tian will compose and perform a propulsive new soundscape powered by a cross-cultural fusion of exuberant percussion and Chinese dulcimer. Singers and dancers join this multidisciplinary group of collaborators to take you on a transcendent journey, awakening your senses with spectacular sound, imagery, and light.

Video for the filmed productions will be captured and edited by Blue Land Media, based in Arlington, VA. Founded in 2000, Blue Land Media works to make a difference by connecting people, sharing ideas, and telling stories through the power of video and digital media. More information can be found at www.bluelandmedia.com.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
Constellation Theatre Company tells big, powerful stories in an intimate space. Constellation sparks the curiosity and imagination of the people of greater Washington, DC with world-class entertainment that features visual spectacle, dynamic movement, live music, and passionate acting ensembles. Drawing from the genres of fantasy, farce, and epic adventure, Constellation transports audiences to new and exciting worlds where the action is larger than life.

SEE ALSO:
One-woman ‘Children of Medea’ to power Electric Impulses at Constellation
(season announcement)

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