THE LAST FIVE YEARS

THE LAST FIVE YEARS – the musical

As soon as the epidemiological measures allowed it, the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum started working on a new musical, the contemporary love story The Last Five Years by the New York writer and composer Jason Robert Brown. The musical about a love affair and marriage that lasted for five years, directed by Robert Boskovic, under the conducting baton of Vesna Souc and choreographed by Milica Cerovic, is performed by Branislava Podrumac, Zarko Stepanov, Mina Gligoric and Dimitrije Cincar Kostic. The part of the Team of Authors are also Vesna Rezic, a set designer, Snezana Pesic, a costume designer, Srdjan Jovanovic, a lighting designer and Dusan Arsikin, a sound designer, while 3D mapping, holograms and projections are done by Matej Bodrusic and Aleksandar Rapajic.

The story follows Jamie, a young, talented, Jewish writer who falls in love with Cathy, an actress, struggling to build her career. Their love story, from dating, marriage, rows and splitting up, over a five-year period, is made as music “deconstruction” of a love relationship. All Cathy’s songs begin with the end of their marriage and go back to the period of love, while Jamie’s songs begin when they start a relationship and go towards the end of the marriage, and they “meet” at the moment of the proposal. This musical was premiered on the stage of Madlenianum on May 15, with the first revival on May 16 2021.

The success of the Podrumac – Stepanov duo was particularly highlighted in those music numbers interlaced with the demanding narration parts. Their stage presence, freedom of  movement on stage, and especially the precision in vocal technique while quickly changing between the spoken and the sung dialogues, have helped maintaining the natural course of drama.

Isidora Bovan, Radio Belgrade 2