What marriage doesn’t have its ups and downs? The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is roughly seven to eight years. As the title implies, the bloom on the marital rose faded a bit early in The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s two-person musical, now playing in Herndon at NextStop Theatre Company.
The talented writer and composer drew on his own failed marriage to craft an intimate, soul-bearing musical, which premiered off-Broadway in 2002. Brown’s conceit plays with the idea of a linear story. For the show’s character Jamie Wellerstein, an up-and-coming writer, the story of the five-year relationship moves forward in time, beginning just after his first date with Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actor. Cathy starts the play when their marriage is over and moves backward to when they first met. Other musicals play with time — Sondheim and Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along springs to mind, working backward in time. The innovation of The Last Five Years is that it unfurls both backward and forward, which works beautifully since we only see Jamie or Cathy in their own, isolated moments throughout the 90-minute running time.
That is, until the central scene, the only scene in which the couple shares the same space at the same time: their wedding. Brown’s achingly romantic “For the Next Ten Minutes” allows the couple to revel in their deep connection, which is made bittersweet since their marriage is so short-lived.
How did NextStop handle this unique song cycle? Superbly. As directed by Aria Velz, The Last Five Years seemed as fresh as if it were written yesterday. Velz’s eye for detail and a cinematic style staging — aided by Haile LaRoe’s precise lighting design — allows the intimate glimpses into Cathy and Jamie’s emotional journey to surface effortlessly.
Velz has also assembled two winning partners to breathe life into the doomed couple, in a coup of impeccable casting. Making his debut at NextStop, Ben Clark played Jamie with open-hearted verve and charm to spare. He is easy to believe as both the young writer, completely smitten with his new lover, and as the frustrated and heartbroken man who walks away. As wide-eyed Jamie, Clark’s “Shiksa Goddess” makes a strong, comedic impression, as does the allegorical “The Schmuel Song.” His final number, “I Could Never Rescue You,” reveals a broken man, marking the completion of a chapter in a jam-packed five years.
Matching Clark scene for scene and note for note, Caelyn D. Williams is Cathy, an open-book of a performance that is likewise filled with nuance and passion. When Williams opens the show with Cathy’s farewell to Jamie, “Still Hurting,” the performer has to bare her soul right out of the gate, which she does beautifully. Williams shows her own comedy chops in the light-hearted song about her adventures as a touring actress, “A Summer in Ohio.”
In their ultimate moment together, Clark and Williams also display palpable chemistry as they share the swoony “For the Next Ten Minutes.” Brown sure knows how to craft a romantic tune.
The action takes place on a simple unit set evoking an outdoor park or a cozy apartment, as well as the bandstand for the small but dynamic orchestra. Megan Holden’s scenic design works in harmony with LaRoe’s lighting design.
Speaking of music, Brown’s choice score is in expert hands under the leadership of music director Lucia LaNave, who also plays the keyboard, along with Sam C. Jones (guitar), Brian Bera (bass), Chesterton Bliss and Andrea Vercoe (violin), and Tim Thulson and Michael Stein (cello). This skilled band of musicians supports the two actor-singers from start to finish.
Theatergoers in the DC-Virginia-Maryland region have so many excellent choices for productions. NextStop Theatre Company brings polish and panache to its cozy space in Herndon. And The Last Five Years is the perfect choice for an intimate evening, even if the outcome is a poignant reminder that romance may peter out after five eventful years.
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.
The Last Five Years plays through November 23, 2025, at NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, Virginia. Tickets (generally $50) can be purchased online or by calling the box office (703) 481-5930 x1.
The program for The Next Five Years is online here.
The Last Five Years
By Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Aria Velz
Featuring Ben Clark (Jamie) and Caelyn D. Williams (Cathy)
Understudies: Sophia Early (Cathy) and Henry Metcalf (Jamie)
Music Director: Lucia LaNave
Stage Manager: Sophia Mencony
Lighting Design: Haile LaRoe
Costume Design: Imari Pyles
Sound Design: Lex Allenbaugh
Scenic Design: Megan Holden
Props Design: Marty Bernier
Producing Artistic Director: Heather Lanza
