THE LAST FIVE YEARS – with ELIAS HIONIDES and RAQUEL LOPEZ

by DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM
ABET opened a special summer musical, Jason Robert Brown’s “THE LAST FIVE YEARS” on June 14. It will continue for 3 more performances on June 21, 22, and 23 at 716 Ocean Boulevard, in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Call 904-249-7177 or visit abettheatre.com for reservations.
The talent turning out for auditions for this unique musical was so superb that Director Alejandro Rodriquez decided to have different performers appear each week. Mr. Hionides and Ms. Lopez performed the first weekend and the show will close with Josh Waller and Madaline Hill doing the final three performances.
This show debuted in 2001 at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago. It made it to Broadway in 2002 and has been done in limited runs around the country. The show demands talented singers and requires skillful staging. The cast recording has a legion of fans and has been very successful.
“The Last Five Years” is the cleverly crafted musical story of Jamie whose career as a writer is blossoming and on the rise. He falls in love with Cathy, who is trying to get her career as an actress jump started. It is unique in that they are separated by chronology. Cathy’s story begins at the end of their relationship and goes backward, his begins shortly after an early date and continues forward. They meet in the middle, when Jamie proposes. There are fourteen songs in the score; two are duets and, they alternate singing the others.
The set designed by Director Rodriguez and Lee Hamby is very minimalist, consisting of a sturdy wheeled wooden platform in the center of the stage that morphs into a bed or seating or whatever is needed, two movable wooden stools, and an off-stage area with a cafe table and chairs. Panels with a clear covering run from the ceiling to the floor and are used for entrances and exits. Lighting Designer Bryan Frank uses an evocative mix of color that augments the emotion and action on the stage.
Recent Jacksonville University graduate Zeek Smith is the musical director and has assembled a band with instruments that are somewhat unusual in today’s musicals, with Damon Martin (Bass), Jacob Schuman (Guitar), Joseph Henderson (Violin) and Joe Engel (Cello). Mr. Smith has been very much in demand as a Musical Theatre Director and a keyboardist and has been involved in a number of projects on the local scene including “Once on this Island”, “Jerry’s Girls”, “Next to Normal”, “The Wildest”, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “ Tommy”. He is also a fine singer and we have had the opportunity to enjoy his talents several times in the past.
Alejandro Rodriquez is also a recent JU graduate and has been accepted as an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers society. His fantastic choreography and directing skills are evident in this meticulously crafted production. His talents as a performer have already been recognized, and for the next several months he will be a production singer aboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship that sails out of Galveston, Texas.
The two performers, Ms. Lopez and Mr. Hionides, bring substantial vocal dynamism to their roles. Raquel Lopez is a Senior Musical Theatre major at Jacksonville University; we have enjoyed her performances in “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”, “Little Women” and “The Gondoliers”. While a student at Jacksonville Beach’s Foundation Academy, Elias Hionides appeared in a number of leading roles in productions by the Performing Arts Department. He subsequently attended the University of Miami and obtained a degree in Finance and Marketing; his appearance as Jamie is his first time on stage since he did “Guys and Dolls” about seven years ago. We hope to see more of these two talented actors and singers in the future.
We enjoyed all of the songs but two were our favorites. Jamie sings “The Schmuel Song”, a humorous tale of an interesting tailor. Cathy in the song, “Climbing Uphill” gives us a close-up view of what it is like for an actress to audition at what is known as a cattle call.
Evan Gould was the Stage Manger of this show, and also designed the excellent program and helped build the set. Also contributing their time and skills as production assistants were Laurel Wilson, Nicole Kosnik, Gordon Frank and Joe Golomboski.
The final weekend will feature Josh Waller and Madeline Hill in the same roles. We plan to attend and cover their performance. Don’t miss this extraordinary musical with its outstanding score and unusual love story.