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About the Show
Is the breakdown of a marriage an ending or beginning? The Last Five Years follows two New Yorkers, rising author Jamie and aspiring actress Cathy, as they fall in and out of love over the course of half a decade. This gut-wrenching, iconic musical, with an acclaimed score by Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown, explores how a couple, once united by their dreams, could stray so far from each other as their paths diverge. Told from two opposite timelines, Jamie and Cathy’s perspectives intertwine in a story of love, ambition, and heartbreak.
If You’re Into:
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La La Land
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Adele’s divorce album ‘30’
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Marriage Story
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Past Lives
Expect:
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Diverging paths in relationships
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Picking a side after a breakup
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Balancing career and relationships
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The fine line between success and failure as an artist
Special Events:
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Topical Talkback - Nov 7
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$30 under 40 Happy Hour - Nov 7
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Artist Talkback - Nov 8 after 2pm show
Meet the Artists
Jason Robert Brown, Writer & Composer
Jason Robert Brown is a Tony Award winning writer and composer. His Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals include Parade, The Bridges of Madison County, The Last Five Years, 13, The Connector, Songs for a New World, Honeymoon in Vegas and Mr. Saturday Night. The Last Five Years will have its Broadway premiere this spring, and his newest musical, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, will also premiere on Broadway in 2025. Jason’s recordings as a solo artist include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes, How We React and How We Recover, Coming from Inside the House and most recently, Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Sondheim: Live in Concert. Jason is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802.
Aria Velz, Director
Aria Velz is a director, producer, and teaching artist born and raised in the DMV. She was most recently at NextStop as the director for The Cake. Other current and recent directing work includes Kim's Convenience and The Brothers Paranormal at Olney Theatre Center, and A Bright Room Called Day at Nu Sass Productions. She is currently the National New Play Network Producer in Residence at Theater Alliance and was an Allen Lee Hughes fellow at Arena Stage.
Ben Clark, Jamie
Ben is thrilled to be working with NextStop Theatre for the first time. Other credits include Barrington Stage Company and Round House Theatre: Next to Normal; The Keegan Theatre: Everything is Wonderful, Elegies: A Song Cycle; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Jersey Boys; Olney Theatre Center and Everyman Theatre: The World Goes Round.
Caelyn D. Williams, Cathy
Caelyn is a theatre artist and singer based in the DMV and is ecstatic to make her debut at NextStop Theatre. She was last seen in The Kennedy Center for Young Audiences’ Finn as Aggie. Local credits include: Harry (Nate the Great, Imagination Stage), Mimi Marquez (RENT, ArtsCentric), Marty (Grease, Toby’s Dinner Theatre), Mench (The New Kid, Imagination Stage), Emmie Thibodeaux (Caroline, or Change, Elden Street Players), Eve/MamaNoah (Children of Eden, 2nd Star Productions), Sarah’s Friend (Ragtime, HCC Arts Collective). She is also a founding member of Skyline, a prominent cover band in the DMV area under EastCoast Entertainment. “Everything you need, you got. Perfect. Maybe not yet realized, but perfect. Complete.” -Beah Richards www.caelyndwilliams.com IG: lady_cae
Sophia Early, Cathy Understudy
Sophia is thrilled to be making her NextStop Theatre debut. Other local credits include Round House Theatre: Next to Normal, Ink; Theater Alliance: Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience; Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Persuasion. Sophia has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Howard University. IG: @sophia.the.early
Henry Metcalf, Jamie Understudy
Henry is beyond grateful to be working with NextStop Theatre once again after previously working on Footloose. Other local credits include Clarksville Little Theatre: Crazy For You; CFTC: Beauty and the Beast; RCP: Hairspray. Henry would like to thank his family and friends for all of their support!
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