The production of The Last 5 Years I saw today was quite good!
I've had the CD for a while, so I walked in fairly familiar with the show's music. On the whole, I do like the score, though I think the lighter-hearted numbers, such as "Shiksa Goddess," "The Schmuel Song," "A Summer in Ohio," and the audition song (when Cathy provides running commentary on what's going on around her) are somewhat more successful and memorable than the darker songs in the play. The wedding duet, bookended by each character's perspective on the scene in the rowboat on Central Park Lake is most effective (and romantic!)
I know some people have not been too keen on the central conceit--they would call it "gimmick"--of this show, in that the male character's story is told in forward progression and the female's in reverse. I, for one, like it for its novelty, and even more so for the balance it provides over the course of the play. If both characters' stories were told in forward progression, it would make for a mighty--and increasingly--depressing ninety minutes in the theatre, in my humble opinion (IMHO, in internet lingo.)
Until today, I was unaware how little dialogue there is in the play. As such, it comes off as a staged song cycle or two-character chamber opera in the theatre. The sets in this production were quite minimal, with two chairs the only constant elements on the raked platform of a playing area. Physical locations and stages in the relationship between Jamie and Cathy were established with costumes, lighting (including some projections) and the occasional prop. I found the production quite effective.
The intelligence of the orchestration struck me much more hearing this music played live in the theatre than when I listened to the CD. The way some of the solo parts (especially for violin and cello) accented or colored what was being sung was memorable.
Rick Cornette and Kim Huber were both superb as Jamie and Cathy. Each of them has excellent vocal and acting ability, and they both are quite easy on the eye.
My only quibble, if I have one, is that Cathy's songs tended to be staged in rather static fashion, while the blocking for Jamie involved a fair amount of movement that generated engagement with the audience of itself.
