A Musical Heart Breaker

‘Dream team’ brings ‘Last Five Years’ to ACO

Bryce Kemph as Jamie proposes to Elizabeth Crouch Jilka as Cathy in “The Last Five Years,” a musical written by Jason Robert Brown on stage at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale.
Bryce Kemph as Jamie proposes to Elizabeth Crouch Jilka as Cathy in “The Last Five Years,” a musical written by Jason Robert Brown on stage at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale.

Arts Center of the Ozarks has long been known for the splashy, large-cast musicals produced in the summer. Classic and family-friendly, they are the perfect complement to a day spent barbecuing and splashing around in a swimming hole.

But thanks to the gentle urging of Lydia Corbell, ACO is attempting something a bit unusual: This weekend's production of Jason Robert Brown's "The Last Five Years" is an intimate, contemporary musical with a cast of two.

FAQ

‘The Last Five Years’

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. today & Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE — Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale

COST — $15

INFO — 751-5441 or acozarks.org

"When [ACO executive director] Jenni [Taylor Swain] came on board, she asked me, since I had a programming background, to kind of look at their program model for the shows that they were producing here," says Corbell, who previously served as the Walton Arts Center's programming coordinator. "One of the foundations of ACO is the big summer musical, and I thought that there was room for a small musical spot in the winter.

"I made her a short list of suggestions, and ['The Last Five Years'] was on it. I said, if this ends up being your choice, I would be interested in directing it."

The musical tells the story of a five-year relationship between an actress and a writer.

Corbell says she has loved the musical since first hearing the cast recording in college.

"It's all primarily sung," she explains. "So just by listening to the CD, you naturally are able to see it in your head because of the way it's told all through music. It was so simple. Each song stands alone, but once you see it in order, it just makes it that much more powerful."

Brown's musical takes on an unusual format: Each of the characters tells the story of the relationship from his or her own perspective, Cathy (played by Betsy Jilka) from the end of the relationship backwards, Jamie (played by Bryce Kemph) in chronological order.

"Brown gives it away at the very beginning that the relationship doesn't work out," says Corbell. "The first line is 'Jamie is over, Jamie is gone.' So in that way, for the audience, it's not about finding out what happens in the end -- it's about seeing the journey. "

A lot of the play's emotional wallop occurs when one character is celebrating the heady first days of the relationship while the other is coming to terms with the demise of that same relationship. The two characters interact only in one scene, when the two storylines briefly converge -- on their wedding day.

Music director Jeannie Lee says that Brown's musical talent is unparalleled.

"He is a fantastic pianist and composer, so he employs a number of styles, mainly in the pop idiom," she says. "But you will also see some klezmer, you'll hear ballads, a lot of jazz -- there are many styles that come in.

"It's so organic to the characters. And he also writes lyrics as if you're speaking them. It's just not difficult to coach an actor, because it's all there in the way it's written in the text and supported by what he writes for accompaniment. He's one of my favorites."

Jilka agrees.

"[Brown] knows how to write for actors," she says. "He is just amazing. He wrote the piano music to really follow along with the emotions of the characters, too, so you hear a lot of undertones going on."

Though this is Corbell's first directing gig, she has an extensive theater resume as a performer and has been working with Fayetteville High School as a choreographer.

"I have a dream team," she says of her first time in the role of director. "Both of the actors in the show -- I just got lucky with the level of their talent and their familiarity with the piece." Corbell, Jilka and Kemph all spent time working as actors in New York City before moving back to Arkansas.

"When it came to the set and the lighting and the more technical aspects, I got a little more nervous," she continues. "But [Tim Faires] is a great set builder here on staff, and my stage manager [Rachel Spurgers] is wonderful. She's been very helpful in getting me to feel a little more comfortable on the technical side of things."

Corbell suggests that the show is perfect date night material.

"You can sympathize with the characters, but you can also sit next to that person you love and enjoy the good parts of the relationship," she says. "The other thing that is really fun for me, I think, is that everyone in the audience is going to have a different opinion about why it didn't work out and who they may blame for it."

NAN What's Up on 02/10/2017

Upcoming Events