Love, ambition, and art collide in SRT’s ‘The Last Five Years’ musical in Singapore this February

First staged in 2001, The Last Five Years is a deeply personal, almost voyeuristic exploration of love and loss, written by Jason Robert Brown. The musical tells the story of Cathy, a struggling actress, and Jamie, a rising novelist, through two intertwining timelines — Cathy’s perspective moving backward from the end of their relationship and Jamie’s moving forward from their first meeting.

The show’s unique narrative structure and emotionally charged score have cemented its status as a modern classic, attracting audiences who see fragments of their own relationships in its story.

At its core, the musical is a meditation on ambition, insecurity, and the way love can sometimes falter under the weight of professional pursuits. Brown’s score, with its intricate melodies and unconventional time signatures, mirrors the complexity of the emotions at play. Inspired by his own failed marriage, Brown crafted the piece with such raw honesty that it has since become a staple in contemporary musical theatre, beloved by performers and audiences alike for its relatability and musical sophistication.

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Bringing to life the cultural phenomenon that is The Last Five Years are musicians  Nathan Hartono and Inch Chua in the roles of Jamie and Cathy. Produced by Singapore Repertory Theatre, this iteration is directed by Daniel Jenkins and is the first production to kick off SRT’s 2025 season. 

Despite The Last Five Year’s fame, Nathan didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into. When his longtime friend Inch approached him about taking on The Last Five Years, he said yes without hesitation, not realizing the full weight of what he had agreed to. “I came into this not really knowing the show,” he admitted, with an air of amused self-awareness. It wasn’t until rehearsals began that the sheer magnitude of the undertaking settled in. The intricate musicality, the emotional demands, the relentless intimacy of a two-hander musical — all of it hit at once.

“I enjoy living life that way,” he said. “Just diving in, realizing it’s a bit intense, and then figuring things out as I go.”

For Inch, the decision was far more calculated. She knew what The Last Five Years demanded, both musically and emotionally, and she couldn’t think of anyone better than Nathan to step into Jamie’s shoes. “It only works if there’s someone equally exciting to take on the challenge,” she explained, noting their shared appetite for artistic rigor. “We enjoy life on hard mode, like boss-level mode.”

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The challenge of Jason Robert Brown’s score is no secret among musical theatre aficionados. The constant shifts in time signature, the nuanced interplay between lyrics and melody, the way the music charts the rise and fall of a relationship — it’s a labyrinth that rewards meticulous exploration.

“There are people who’ve broken down every time signature change throughout the entire show,” Nathan said, equal parts awed and daunted. “There’s a symmetry to it — not perfect, but a rough balance that reflects the arc of the story.”

The genius of The Last Five Years lies in its dual perspectives — each character telling their side of the story in isolation, without ever truly connecting. This structure forces the audience to sit with the inherent subjectivity of relationships, recognizing that the truth lies somewhere between two diverging narratives. This emotional weight, combined with the technical rigor of Brown’s music, makes The Last Five Years an exhilarating and daunting endeavor for any performer.

If The Last Five Years offers technical challenges, it also presents an emotional minefield. Cathy and Jamie, two artists in love, are perpetually at odds — not just in their careers, but in their fundamental outlooks on life. Their relationship, fraught with professional envy and emotional blind spots, still resonates deeply today.

“They always were toxic,” Nathan observed, without a hint of hesitation. “It’s not just one person being bad to another; it’s both being bad for each other.”

Inch agreed. “We all know the trope of wanting things that are bad for us,” she said. “There’s a clear codependency where their bad is good for each other, and their good is bad for each other.”

It’s a dynamic that has aged surprisingly well — or perhaps not so surprisingly at all. The struggles of ambition versus love, of personal growth versus partnership, remain universal. The story of The Last Five Years might be two decades old, but its emotional undercurrents are evergreen.

For Nathan, the most daunting part hasn’t been the music or the emotional weight of Jamie’s arc — it’s the acting itself. “Acting isn’t my natural disposition,” he admitted, his voice tinged with self-deprecating candor. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done it, and it’s not like riding a bicycle.” The challenge, he said, is in finding the right “placement,” both physically and emotionally, to step into Jamie’s skin without losing himself in the process.

Inch, too, finds the acting to be the steepest learning curve. As a musician first and foremost, she leans on music as her primary storytelling tool. “Music allows empathy to come naturally,” she said. “But expressing those feelings outwardly, through our whole being, that’s a completely different vocabulary.”

Even with the challenges, they both see something of themselves in the characters they portray. Inch sees herself in Cathy’s persistent self-doubt, while Nathan recognizes the inevitable comparisons that come with being in a relationship with another artist. “Two creatives can love each other deeply, but there’s always that underlying sense of comparison,” he reflected. “It’s one of those things you can’t really help.”

The weight of portraying such familiar emotional territory is not lost on them. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m bringing too much of myself into Jamie,” Nathan admitted. “It’s like holding up a mirror and seeing reflections you weren’t ready to confront.” Inch echoed the sentiment, saying, “It’s easy to lose yourself in a character that feels so close to home. But maybe that’s the beauty of it — finding catharsis in someone else’s words.”

As the The Last Five Years inches closer to opening night, both performers remain deep in the process, grappling with the music, the emotions, and their own reflections. “This process has made me more aware of myself,” Inch said thoughtfully. “You realize that your experiences, your vulnerabilities — they’re not so different from what these characters go through.” Nathan added, “In the end, it’s about telling a story that feels true, and hoping the audience finds pieces of themselves in it.”

The Last Five Years run from 12th February 2025 to 1st March 2025. Tickets can be bought here.