THEATER REVIEW:’Last Five Years’ set for Playhouse benefit

“The Last Five Years” will be condensed into two days at the Huntington Beach Playhouse later this month.

The intimate two-person musical by Jason Robert Brown — which had its California premiere two years ago at the Laguna Playhouse — will be presented Aug. 21 and 22 only as a benefit production to raise funds for the theater’s scholarship program.

Nathan Singh, who is directing the show, viewed the Laguna production and has been “dying to bring it to the Huntington Beach Playhouse stage ever since.”

The show follows the lives and careers of an aspiring young writer, Jamie, and a struggling actress, Cathy, who fall in love, get married and drift apart over the course of five years.

There’s a gimmick involved, however. The story is told from the perspective of both characters, only his version proceeds chronologically, while hers begins at the moment of breakup and proceeds backward to their first meeting.

Each character addresses the audience alternatively from his or her perspective, and we are shown how even the most ideal of relationships can founder if not properly nurtured.

At the Huntington Beach Playhouse, the cast will be composed of two local young performers: Adam Kalma and Nicole Weber. Erik Przytulski, currently involved in the world premiere of “Surf City USA,” opening this weekend, is musical director.

Singh is placing the emphasis on the characters.

“It is quite thrilling to see two actors thrown on stage with raw human emotions and nothing else,” he observes.

“We are creating some new and intimate staging for this song-and-character cycle,” Singh says. “It is going to be visually stunning, yet stripped down to two actors, two chairs, a table and the music.”

Advance tickets are on sale for both performances at $25, which includes a post-show champagne reception and a discussion with the cast and creative team.

All proceeds from the show will be used to fund the HBPH LaVerne Pilkerton Scholarship program for high school seniors planning to pursue training in theater arts following their graduation. Both Singh and Weber are prior scholarship recipients, and Weber was featured in the playhouse’s 2004 production of “Stars in Your Eyes.”

Tickets for “The Last Five Years” may be reserved by calling the playhouse box office at (714) 375-0696 or by going online at www.hbph.com.