The Last Five Years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leigh McLeod Fortier or Sandra Kuker (323) 960-7779
Email: [email protected]
THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Half-price Previews: June 10, 11, 12
Begins June 17th, 2011
One Act, Book Musical, Rated PG
•A contemporary musical drama that ingeniously chronicles the five year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up… or from break-up to meeting, depending on your point-of-view.
Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs For A New World, 13), The Last Five Years is an intensely personal look at the relationship between a writer and an actress told from both points of view. The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hyatt, a struggling actress.
http://www.jasonrobertbrown.com/
The Last Five Years premiered in Chicago in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally.
The Last Five Years is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 W. 54th St., New York, NY 10019
www.MTIShows.com
(Los Angeles, CA) (March, 2011)… Bright Eyes Productions (which brought you Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man and Stephen MacDonald’s Not About Heroes) is proud to present The Last Five Years, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, directed by William Hemmer, music direction by Ron Snyder.
Half-Price Preview Performances June 10th, 11th and 12th
Opens Friday, June 17th for 18 performances through July 24th.
Performances of June 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26 are presented as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
All performances are Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 7 pm.
The Lounge 2 Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd. (one block east of Vine)
Running time is 80 minutes (no intermission) with street parking available. (Allow time for street parking.)
Tickets: $25.00
For reservations, call (323) 960-5770
or RESERVE ONLINE: www.plays411.com/lastfiveyears
For information on Bright Eyes Productions:
www.brighteyesproductions.net
About The Show
A man, a woman, a marriage which lasted five years. The story, told in the exuberant and heart-rending songs of Jason Robert Brown, tells the story of the five years of a marriage, from intense love to a final, painful separation.
However, there’s an intriguing twist: the man lives the five years of the marriage from exuberant beginning to its heart-rending ending, but the woman lives the five years backward, from end to beginning.
Their “times” correspond only once, signaled by a remarkable duet (“The Next Ten Minutes”). A “must-see … and hear.”
More About the Show
Jamie and Cathy’s relationship has lasted five years. As the play begins, Cathy is at the end of the relationship (“Still Hurting”) and feeing bereft. Immediately, we see Jamie five years prior. He has just met Cathy and is soaring from the high of it. (“Shiksa Goddess”). From there, we watch the inter-cutting scenes from Manhattan to a summer tent musical in Ohio and back, as Jamie moves forward in time while Cathy moves backward.
About Time
In his national best-seller The Fabric of the Cosmos, the quantum physicist and science writer Brian Greene has written: “All the known and accepted laws of motion- – -embody time-reversal symmetry: motion that can occur in the usual forward time direction can equally well occur in reverse.” (Modern physicists talk in earnest about eleven dimensions and multiple universes. One can quickly get in over one’s head here!!!)
Film makers have often played with time as the driving element of the story they tell. To name a few, there’s Portrait of Jennie (1949), Somewhere In Time (1980), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008) and The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009), just to name a few.
By doing so for the stage, Jason Robert Brown has shown his originality and boldness, asking the audience to accept what their senses tell them is impossible, that for the purposes of story-telling and drama, time can indeed run backwards.
CAST And PRODUCTION TEAM BIO’S
Starring Ashley Cuellar and Rory Alexander.
Rory Alexander (Jamie) Rory Alexander’s Hollywood debut began with the show PIPPIN, immediately followed by CABARET THE MUSICAL. Having recently moved to Los Angeles upon graduation from Cal Poly State University (San Luis Obispo) last spring. Rory holds a Bachelor of Arts in music (vocal performance). Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rory became involved in the arts at age 11 when he began playing the clarinet. Soon thereafter, Rory added musical theatre, choir, and bassoon to his resume. Rory entered college as a bassoon major, but after a one-year hiatus from singing made the switch to vocal performance. While a student at Cal Poly, Rory was featured as a soloist by the local opera company (Opera San Luis Obispo) in various recitals (Spring in Cambria; Broadway by the Sea). He also became involved with the community theater company Sorcerer Productions, by whom he was featured as Sabu/Lead Tenor in The Producers and as an ensemble member in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Other recent performances include: Side Show (Terry Connor); The Pirates of Penzance (Samuel); Songs for a New World (Man 2); scenes from Die Fledermaus (Frank); and scenes from Le Nozze di Figaro (Bartolo).
www.Rory-Alexander.com
Ashley Cuellar (Cathy) Born and raised in Sonoma California AKA the Wine Country, she was fortunate to be born into a family who was supportive and encouraged her choice to begin performing at age six. Trained in Opera, Musical Theatre, and Jazz styling, Ashley sings from the heart, drawing from her own personal experience, and adding her humor and sharing it with the audience makes the experience genuine.
Ashley Cuellar managed to amass a fair amount of credits before moving south. Maria in west side story, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Cinderella in Into The Woods and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show just to name a few. Ashley has written and performed her own one-woman show to wonderful reviews, “But First You Dream” Directed by the incomparable David Galligan. You may also “recognize” her from a memorable episode on the popular television show AMERICA’S MOST WANTED – where she played the victim of five gun shot wounds – Cue the laughter!
Ashley is actively involved in Aids Project Los Angeles and S.T.A.G.E where she has shared the stage with such stars as Melissa Manchester, Deniece Williams, Jai Rodriguez, Danny Gurwin, Carole Cook, and Vicki Lewis.
She has been fortunate in the two years she has been in Los Angeles to be able to perform on a regular basis and this is only the beginning.
www.ashleycuellar.com
William Hemmer (Producer/Director)
Bill’s directing career began when, as a kid, he produced and directed shows in his parents’ basement with the neighborhood kids singing their little hearts out unaccompanied, the productions staged by and, of course, starring… himself.
He graduated to high school productions, too obscure to mention here (though I vaguely remember The Song Of Bernadette at St. Mary’s High), then auditioned with “Panis Angelicus” with the Phoenix Civic Light Opera and actually got in!!! There he honed his acting/singing chops in such shows as South Pacific, Finian’s Rainbow and Kismet, graduating from the chorus to larger and larger rolls, culminating in the role of Joey in The Most Happy Fella.
At the University of Arizona, he sang in the opera theatre in such roles as Count Almaviva in The Marriage Of Figaro, Spalanzani in L’Conte d’Hoffman and even attempted the title role in Rigoletto (in which he failed rather miserably but learned a valuable lesson: don’t let your reach exceed your grasp…or the other way around either). He also co-founded and produced for The Tucson Gilbert and Sullivan Theatre, for which he sang such roles as The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore and Pish Tush in The Mikado.
In San Diego in graduate school, he repeated the role of Count Almavivia and the role of John Sorel in Minotti’s The Consul. He also appeared in The Old Globe Theater’s production of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine.
There followed a long fallow period until, four years ago, he decided to see if he still had a voice and discovered he did, giving concerts around L.A., producing a concert of The Songs Of Adam Guettel and the play The Busy World Is Hushed dba Bright Eyes Productions (see the link below).
His most recent work for Bright Eyes Productions was as producer for Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man and as producer/director for Stephen MacDonald’s Not About Heroes.
Most of the above is true.
www.brighteyesproductions.net
Ron Snyder (Music Director)
Ron Snyder is a musical director and accompanist in the L.A. area and has worked at the Rose Tattoo, Luna Park, Romeo & Juliets, Maldanado’s, the Cinegrill, the Gardenia and Monteleone’s West for many of L.A’s finest singers and performers.
Ron served as musical director for Jim Bailey and performed with him in Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Las Vegas and the London Palladium.
Ed Begley Jr. chose Ron as his musical director for his production of Cesar and Ruben: The Cesar Chavez Story at the NoHo Arts Center in Los Angeles.
Ron had the pleasure of being rehearsal pianist and back up musical director for the Los Angeles premiere of Selena where he worked with Miranda Garrison from the film Dirty Dancing and Bob Esty, a producer on Barbra Streisand’s first Broadway album.
Ron was musical director for 2 shows at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles both written by Mark Savage; The Ballad of Little Mikey for which Ron won a Dramalogue award and Pinafore which garnered Ron two L.A. Weekly awards for Musical Director of the Year and for Musical of the Year.
Ron had the pleasure of working with Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields, Rita Wilson and Lisa Rinna as their L.A. rehearsal pianist for their Broadway and London debuts as Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Marilu Henner performed her one woman show called Marilu in Concert at the Spencer Theatre in New Mexico for which Ron was musical director.
Recently Ron musically directed cabaret performances for Stepfanie Kramer, Joanne Worley, Joan Steiger, Jai Rodriguez, Barbara Van Orten and Tony winner Sammy Williams (A Chorus Line).
Ron also musically directed the CD’s for Laura Wolfe, Larry Davis, Amanda Abel, Helene McCardle, Don Scotti, Ballad Of Little Mikey, Pinafore, Irene Nachreiner and Bill Hemmer which can be found on CD Baby.
Currently Ron can be found as Musical Director for Cabaret Idol and is on the faculty and staff in the Department Of Music at Santa Monica College.
Mr. Snyder’s talents have been highly regarded by show business luminaries such as Esther Williams, Sally Kellerman, Bruce Vilanch, Jayne Meadows and the late Steve Allen, Jennifer Jones, Ann Miller and Estelle Getty and many others. Ron would like to thank Bryan, Mom, Joanna VanDenBerg, and many friends and family members for all their love and support.
Ron can be contacted at [email protected]
