STAGE TUBE: Street Theatre Company's THE LAST FIVE YEARS

THE LAST FIVE YEARS is a contemporary musical that chronicles the five year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up. As the story begins, Jamie is at the beginning of the relationship and Cathy is at the end. With inter-cutting scenes, the audience watches Jamie move forward in time as Cathy moves backward throughout the show. THE LAST FIVE YEARS is a look at the relationship between a writer and an actress told from both points of view.

Immediately after the show opened in Chicago, THE LAST FIVE YEARS sold more tickets in a single weekend than any other production at that venue. The show was named one of Time magazine's top 10 shows of 2001, and Jason Robert Brown took home Drama Desk Awards for both Best Music and Best Lyrics.

Street Theatre Company has added a spin to their production, by offering two separate casts during the run of the production. Artistic Director Cathy Street explains, “What is fascinating to me is how different a show can be based on the actors involved. In a two person show that deals with a complicated relationship, this is easier to explore than ever. The goal is to see how under the same director’s vision, different actors’ interpretations will create a different experience for the audience member. Our hope is that audiences will want to see both casts and see how the show might make them feel differently based on the actors’ choices.”

The two casts feature professional artists in the Nashville community. Weekends one and two will feature Kacie Phillips and Ryan Greenwalt, and in another twist, real-life married couple Cori Laemmel and Tyson Laemmel will perform weekends three and four.

The Last Five Years runs through May 27. Tickets are only $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors, with specials including Talk-Back nights, Student nights, and Starving Artist nights. For specific show information, and to purchase tickets, visitwww.streettheatrecompany.org. Performances are at Street Theatre, 1933 Elm Hill Pike, just off the Briley Parkway. For more information, call 615-554-7414.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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