Its always fun to see arelativelynew show in an unexpected venue.
The presentation of the contemporary musical The Last Five Years by the Panoramic Theatre Companyat the Cache Venue earlier this month qualified as a great experience on both counts.
The production of Jason Robert Browns quirky musical was both enjoyable and a memorable lesson that theatrical magic can be achieved with just a tiny cast, a handful of musicians and a few lights on a stage not much bigger thanapostage stamp.
If youre never been to the Cache Venue, shame on you! Its at 119SouthMain St., where a former landmark restaurant has been remodeled into a nightspot. The Cache Venue isnt fancy, but the joint is jumping with everything fromlive music to stand-up comics.The Last Five Years was the venues first theatrical offering, however.
The Last Five Years is a strange little musical with a high-concept gimmick. The play is a he said/she said autopsyof a romantic relationship, from its rapturous birth to its inevitable death. But the story is told musicallyin alternating scenes with theirperspective moving intwodifferent directions. From the guys point of view, the affair plays out from its start to its finish. From the girls perspective, the relationship moves backward in time from its end to its beginning.
With just a two-person cast, this show was an ideal choice for the tight space of the Cache Venues show room.Chris Metz playedJaime, a self-centered writer on the cusp of success, while Kennedy OakswasCathy, a frustrated actress trying vainly to break into the big time.
The Last Five Years ispractically an operetta; there arejust a few snatches of dialogue between the songs thatdramatically tell the story of theromance doomed by unreasonable expectations. Although the plays score is vocally demanding, Metz andMs.Oaksweremorethan equal to that challenge. She had an unusually vibrant soprano voice that lent itself well to the shows power-ballads. His talent as a song stylist made the shows male numbersespeciallycompelling. Together,Metz and Ms. Oakswere dynamite.
The production was an unqualified success. The Cache Venues lighting and sound systems functioned flawlessly and the audiences closeproximity to the nightclubspint-sized stage merely enhanced the shows already palpable sense of intimacy.
Im looking forward to seeing more productions from the Panoramic Theatre folks, since they appear to be dedicated to staging more progressive shows than our traditional diet of the tried and true here in Cache Valley.
Icanalsosafelypredicta real futurefor the Cache Venue as asetting for small-cast shows presented in a dinner theater atmosphere.I caneasily imagine seeing TheFantasticks there, or Nunsense, or even (God help us) Waiting forGodot.
More:
Charlie's In The House: 'The Last Five Years' - Utah Public Radio
