The Last 5 Years
Darwin performance artists Stuart Fong and Andi Egan discovered they had a shared passion for musical theatre and, noticing a gap in the Darwin scene, got their own ball rolling.
They both loved the characters from The Last Five Years, a modern musical by award-winning American composer Jason Robert Brown, and so set about bringing the songs to life with the help of Director Merrilee Mills and musician Kathryn Ezzy.
“Stu and I learnt the music before anyone else got on board,”says Egan.
“We rehearsed together for hours. The score is quite intricate so we want to get it right. Luckily our voices just naturally blend together.”
The story follows the marriage breakdown between successful novelist Jamie and struggling actress Cathy. Cathy opens the songful tale at the end of their affair and tracks backward through the relationship, while Jamie tells the story from their first meeting.
It’s a structure that leaves you in no doubt – there’s always two sides to any story.
Egan loves the passion of musicals and is excited to have the chance to move people with her voice.
“That for me makes this whole process worth it. Usually I’m a cabaret and comedy singer, so people are often laughing with me when I sing. I think a lot of people just think I’m the funny lady so it will be great to show a softer, more vulnerable side.”
The team decided not to change too much of the original Broadway score, which includes passionate, emotional and sometimes funny contemporary ballads and rock songs.
“Jason has written a beautiful musical and I wouldn’t want to change it much. There are however two versions of his script and we chose the one with more swears. It’s more fun that way.”
“But don’t worry mums, it’s still totally PG13!”
Wed 4 – Sun 8 Oct & Wed 11 – Sun 15 Oct | 7pm | Sun, 5pm | Brown's Mart Theatre | $35 | $25 Conc, Group 8+
