Brilliant Musical-duet in Oslo
Brilliant Musical-duet in Oslo
Heidi Gjermundsen Broch and Heine Totland fill the stage. Photo: John Andresen
“The Last 5 Years” is a chamber musical for two soloists. The ups and downs in a partnership is demanding for the performers and rewarding for the audience in this creative production.
Review by Torkil Baden
OSLO: “The Last 5 Years” by composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown (born 1970) is the pessimistic story of SHE and HE through their five years of partnership, actually rather autobiographical on the part of Brown. SHE is an actress who does not succeed, and HE is a novelist who does succeed
. It creates tension when their story is told almost entirely through songs but in opposite time line. Her songs begin at the end of their marriage and move backwards in time to the beginning of their love affair. His songs start at the beginning and move forward to the end of their marriage. They meet only in a wedding duet. This development creates suspension in a very simple setting that could have been boring. The musical caught fire soon after the opening in Chicago 2001 with a lot of global productions.
14 songs
The virtuoso band also takes part in the action. Photo: John Andresen
The musical is basically a concert with fourteen songs for two singers, and it demands a great deal to capture the audience through such a basically static material. Already Andrew Lloyd Webber has shown that such solo performances can fill the stage (“Tell me on a Sunday” 1979). This score spans a much greater variety of styles, from ballads and jazz to rock and pop and even waltz. It develops unpredictable with great invention in melody and arrangements, sometimes with elements of minimalism.
The characters are transformed into Norwegian everyday life and with a catchy and updated translation though difficult to follow in the first songs. Heidi Gjermundsen Broch has for several years been the star of the Norwegian musical stage in roles like Edith Piaf and Eliza Doolittle. The development of her personality on stage is impressively rich of nuances, and she sings beautifully, best in the softer registers. In the powerful parts her voice can be sharp. She also gets the chance to reveal a comic talent not often shown before
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Rocking
The rocking joy of love is as created for Heine Totland who recently personalized Buddy Holly in Oslo. He also convinces in portraying the fateful road from freshness to resignation and is a winning and rough star on stage.
Jason Robert Brown writes and composes in the demanding style of Stephen Sondheim, high artistic value through restriction. It is the opposite of big and superficial show business and has its quality in the miniatures. The songs span a universe of emotions, and the brilliant performers carry them all the way.
Director Johan Osuldsen takes the virtuoso chamber orchestra with a string trio, piano and bass into stage action, and together with an ever changing set this duo concert turns into vivid action.
The producers deserve honors to leave the beaten track and invest in something new. The musical theatres of Oslo are mostly filled up with revivals of established success. “The Last 5 Years” might also be a success and very relevant one since the musical movie soon is entering the cinemas.
“The Last 5 years”, musical
Lyrics and music: Jason Robert Brown
Jason Robert Brown has written and composed an original musical
Lena: Heidi Gjermundsen Broch
Eivind: Heine Totland
Director: Johan Osuldsen
Musical director: Trond Akerø-Kleven
Music responsible: Atle Halstensen
First performance Chicago 2001
New production Edderkoppen Cabaret Theater, Oslo February 5th 2014, and other Norwegian cities.
Produced by Scenekvelder. 2014.
”The Last Five Years” is soon entering the cinemas.