The Last Five Years is a phenomenal musical written by Jason Robert Brown. He’s written many other shows, including Thirteen, Parade, Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon in Vegas and Songs for a New World. The Last Five Years though, is different. It’s about a divorce and it’s similar to most other love stories, but it has a twist. The musical is told forwards from the perspective of Jamie (the husband) and it’s told backwards from the perspective of Cathy (the wife). The two stories intertwine, and each take turns telling a scene of their story. Cathy and Jamie are the only two actors in the musical, and they are completely separate the entire time except for one point in the show: when they get engaged. The musical score is just brilliantly thought out and gorgeous in every way, the kind of tune that gets stuck in your head but can’t be annoying. It includes a mix of slow and sad lilting piano numbers (Still Hurting), summer-y ukuleles (A Summer In Ohio), salsa dancing (Shiksa Goddess), Irish-esque jigs (Climbing Uphill) and so many more.

Recently a movie version of this musical was made. They made some changes though, deciding to actually have Cathy and Jamie interact and add in other actors as very minor roles for the sake of making it easier to understand. Anna Kendrick of Pitch Perfect and Into The Woods starred as Cathy and Jeremy Jordan of Smash and Newsies starred as Jamie. The two worked as a wonderful pair, giving a fresh take on the relatively new show. Broadway-trained Jeremy Jordan was fantastic with an amazing voice, of course, and Anna Kendrick was refreshingly fun and sarcastic.

Overall, this ridiculously entertaining and fun show was depicted amazingly in the film version, and most critics have taken it positively.