DUMMERSTON — Vermont Theatre Company presents The Last Five Years, a heartfelt musical by Jason Robert Brown and directed by Ryan Buck.
The show runs April 27-29 and May 4-6. Evening performances at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Performances will be held at the Dummerston Evening Star Grange, 100 East-West Rd., East Dummerston.
The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was produced off-Broadway in March of 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the U.S. and internationally.
The story explores a five-year relationship between rising novelist Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actor. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie's is told in chronological order (starting just after the couple has first met).
The two meet when they are in their early 20s, Jamie a college drop-out and Cathy a determined and hard-working actor. They fall in love instantly as they each see something new and unique in a significant other for the first time. They start to see a big difference in their careers, however, and especially in how they handle their respective success.
VTC's production features some of the area's finest actors and musicians. The cast includes Morganna Ekkens (Cathy), Andrew Flaherty (Jamie), Cody Hall (Jamie), and Allie McGahie (Cathy), and features Jonathan Kinnersley on violin, Matt Patton on guitar, Mark Meess on cello, and Assistant Music Director Malcolm Toleno on keyboard. Sam Murphy is assistant director and stage manager.