‘The Last Five Years’ to Open at Bluff City Theater In Hannibal July 10

‘The Last Five Years’ to Open at Bluff City Theater In Hannibal July 10

Before it became a feature film starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, The Last Five Years began as a stirring stage musical that was hailed as one of the 10 best shows of 2001 by Time magazine. Told through inventive and heartrending songs, The Last Five Years is a two-person show that navigates the ins and outs — and beginning and ending — of a marriage.

Written by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade), this Drama Desk Award winner is the story of a couple’s five-year relationship, from the thrilling pangs of new love to their final separation. There is, however, a twist: the husband retells the relationship from beginning to end, while the wife relates their story in reverse. The two characters’ emotional timelines converge only once — at their wedding in the middle of the show. he Last Five Years

Performances are July 10-12 and July 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. at July 13 at the Bluff Street Theater, Hannibal, Mo. Tickets are free and should

Camden Scifres of New York City

Camden Scifres is playing Jamie Wellerstein and Eileen Engel is Catherine Hiatt. The musical is directed by Clark A. Cruikshank, with music direction by Randon Lane. The costume design is by Eileen Engel and the set design by Tim Callahan.

The theater’s artistic director is Jayme Brown.


The show is performed in the 90-seat theater and has been free admission since 2021. Concerned with the national decline in attendance at live performances of all kinds, Bluff City Theater made the decision to eliminate the financial barrier to attendance as a means of attracting greater audience diversity.  The loss in paid admissions is offset by an increase in personal donations, corporate sponsorships, grants and other fundraising activities.

The show is recommended for audiences age 13 or older. The running time is 90 minutes without intermission.

The off-Broadway show received four nominations from the Drama Desk Awards – Outstanding Orchestrations, Set Design (Beowulf Boritt), Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Norbert Leo Butz) and Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Sherie Rene Scott).

For more information, visit https://bluffcitytheater.com or call Tel: 573.719.3226.

Eileen Engel of St. Louis

“Let it in and it knocks you back on your heels. Just like love.” — Rolling Stone

“Bittersweet and nearly perfect, Brown has come up with a winning combination of music and book…” — Variety

“Music, words, and performance meld into a spectrum of clashing emotions…”- New York Times

About Bluff City Theater
Bluff City Theater is based in Hannibal, Mo., and was founded in 2013. It is the brainchild of Joe Anderson and Wesley Yargus.

An artist-driven theater company we place an emphasis on literary works that bridge the gap between books and stage. While not exclusively limited to literature, our goal will be to explore the written word through stage adaptation.
While we are primarily a producing company, we may from time-to-time present other works consistent with our artistic mandate. We seek to enhance the quality of life for residents of North-Eastern Missouri and Western Illinois by producing high-quality performances employing the best actors, directors, musicians and technicians available in an intimate setting. We commit ourselves to developing new works as well as reviving old favorites, especially those that may be forgotten, under-performed or under-appreciated.
First and foremost, we seek to entertain but our mandate extends to educating audiences and fostering a larger discussion around the works and their themes and an appreciation of the role live theater plays in propagating ideas and public discourse. As an ancillary to the primary goals, we partner with the larger arts community to, when appropriate, foster a broader exploration of themes using other forms like lecture, film and the visual arts.
As of 2024, BCT has produced 40 plays including three world-premieres, two American premieres of foreign works, one outdoor production and three environmental productions where local landmarks were transformed, temporarily, into performance spaces.
Directors come from across North America. Our professional actors, while primarily St. Louis-based have also come from Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto. For at least one production a year, we put local children and youth on stage with professionals.

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The renovated theater, at right.

Splendid ‘The Last Five Years’ from Tesseract Theatre Company

Splendid ‘The Last Five Years’ from Tesseract Theatre Company

By Lynn Venhaus

Jason Robert Brown’s musical compositions are strenuous and so are two-character pieces, therefore, “The Last Five Years” was a daunting choice for the enterprising Tesseract Theatre Company as they dive into musical theater endeavors.

However, the group pulled off this marriage chronicle with aplomb when I saw it Feb. 19.. With spirited performers, exemplary musicians, accomplished direction, and smart creative choices, “The Last Five Years” is splendid.

With its all-sung framework and an unconventional structure, Brown’s unforgettable score and emotionally powerful lyrics tug at the heartstrings, for in 85 minutes, they go from meeting to break-up (Jamie Wellerstein) and from break-up to meeting (Cathy Hiatt), intersecting at their wedding.

High praise must be bestowed on an exceptional five-piece orchestra lead by veteran maestro Leah Schultz, who is on piano, with Adam Rugo on guitar, John Gerdes on bass, Chuck Evans on violin, and Marie Brown on cello. (The strings are the cherry on top here, lovely and lush.)

The music is beautiful to get lost in, and highlights are “The Next Ten Minutes,” “Still Hurting,” and “Goodbye Until Tomorrow.”

While this might sound like a simple endeavor, it is not. Brown has incorporated many genres, including jazz, blues, folk, and Latin besides his usual pop-rock fusion with musical theatre. His distinctive melodies are notoriously difficult, and his atypical harmonies require a broad vocal range.

The two leads, Kevin Corpuz as Jamie and Grace Langford as Cathy, as dynamic as they are, struggle a wee bit on a few demanding notes.  Nevertheless, with the high wire singing for nearly an hour and a half, it’s a dandy achievement – especially the stamina required.

With their pizzazzy personalities on display, Corpuz and Langford are engaging as two New Yorkers – he’s a writer and she’s an actress. They convincingly convey a couple from start to finish over five years — exhilaration at falling in love to crestfallen going through a difficult break-up.

You can’t not be moved by the ebbs and flows as the storytelling weaves the doubts that 20-somethings fret about with careers and commitment.

The aching-yearning-worried songs include “Moving Too Fast” and “A Miracle Could Happen” (Jamie) and “I’m a Part of That” and “Climbing Uphill” (Cathy), which they deliver sincerely.

Langford, a strong vocalist who is well-trained, and Corpuz, who moves with great ease, have worked together multiple times in local regional professional theater, so their comfort level with each other is obvious. This is their first time paired as a romantic couple, and they are believable.

Director Taylor Gruenloh has given the piece some needed vitality, for I’ve seen this musical a couple of times where the pair just basically stand there. No, not a move you’d likely see from inventive Gruenloh, nor Corpuz or Langford. Gruenloh’s tweaked it in a good way, making it more heartfelt.

Lankford is particularly fetching in the clever ditty “A Summer in Ohio,” about her experience in summer stock away from her husband, and the humorous “I Can Do Better Than That,” about her hopes and dreams.

And Corpuz’s energy isn’t containable, so he must move. His “Shiksa Goddess” is amusing in a brazen way, a song detailing his character’s Jewish heritage.

The songs that are raw and tinged with sadness — “If I Didn’t Believe in You,” “I Could Never Rescue You,” and “Nobody Needs to Know,” have forceful solos.

Brown has won three Tony Awards – for his original score to “Parade” in 1999 (currently revived on Broadway) and for original score and orchestrations for “The Bridges of Madison County” in 2014. He was nominated for Billy Crystal’s “Mr. Saturday Night” score last year (with Amanda Green lyrics).

This musical, his third, was inspired by his first marriage, and premiered in Chicago in 2001. It moved to off-Broadway in 2002. St. Louis native Norbert Leo Butz originated the role of Jamie in Chicago and played opposite Sherie Renee Scott off-Broadway, and they recorded the cast album.

That production won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics, as well as receiving Drama Desk nominations for musical, actor, actress, orchestrations and set design. It also received Lucille Lortel Award nominations for musical and actor, and the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Off-Broadway musical.

An enduring and popular musical with regional, colleges and community theaters, it has been revived on Broadway, turned into a 2015 movie with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, had an acclaimed London run, a 20th anniversary concert with Butz and original Cathy Lauren Kennedy, and directed by Brown, among other presentations.

The music remains hummable and memorable, and add Tesseract to the list of companies that do it right. Sound designer Phillip Evans has figured out .Zack’s finicky acoustics for flawless work, Brittanie Gunn’s lighting design is striking, and Gruenloh did fine projection work. Actress Josie Schnelten shows up for a cameo.

After their triumphant “Ordinary Days” last fall, and now this 2-hander, Tesseract’s prowess on staging musicals must be highly regarded. “Kinky Boots” is next up at the Grandel Theatre Aug. 17-27, one that will be a must-see.

And you don’t want to miss “The Last Five Years” – a show about love, produced with great affection, and another opportunity to hear those glorious songs.

The Tesseract Theatre Company presents “The Last Five Years” from Feb. 17 to Feb. 26, with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust, in the Grand Center. For more information or tickets, visit: www.tesseracttheatre.com.