Castle Hill Players: The Last Five Years - Review by Daniel Conway
- danielconway0
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Sometimes writing reviews can be hard because you need to work against your own biases. I find it difficult, for example, to review a show I have done and not let comparison colour my opinion of the work on stage. I have to focus on the choices being made and not what has been done before. The Last Five Years is an example of a show where I must fight my bias because I do not think the script is any good. So, the fact that the cast and crew of Castle Hill Players’ production held my attention and made me appreciate the talent on display is the highest praise I can give. The conceit of the show, in my opinion, hampers any emotional connection. Without dialogue and without interaction, it limits any emotional depth and becomes a song cycle. So this review is about the choices made by the cast and crew and how, again in my opinion, they succeeded despite the flaws of the script.
Director Julian Floriano's production was full of beautiful touches that I think really worked thematically. The element that I was most impressed with was the set. Working with the set designer, I thought the choice of set dressing and placement was well done. Every set piece felt incomplete; you only saw half a dining set, half of a bridge. The choice to represent the unseen second half of the story through obfuscation was a strong one. I was a particular fan of the use of sheer draping curtains throughout the stage, which moved in time with the music and the passage of time. They acted as the metaphysical folds of time that stitched this nonlinear narrative together. I found the simplicity of the stage quite stunning and a testament to Floriano’s vision.
I, like everyone who has been in striking distance of musical theatre in Sydney in the last decade, am aware of David Catterall and his work as a musical director. This production is another example of why he is so well regarded. The band were tight, and in a show where the songs are character pieces, often with individual flair that is difficult to produce, to do this with two different casts and then conduct accordingly, you cannot help but be impressed.
CHP has chosen to have two sets of cast for this production, with the roles of Cathy and Jamie being played by Caitlin Whiter and Lachlan Ceravolo, respectively, for the show I attended. As I said, I think the conceit of the show hampers the development of character, but it is clear that Floriano and his AD Kimberlea Smith have worked with their cast to consider the motivation of each song and each moment. Whiter has the harder job of the two, in my opinion, as Cathy’s journey starts with the emotional height of the end of the relationship and ends with the glee and optimism of the start of the relationship. Whiter rises to this challenge and really nails the emotional reality needed to create this sense of development in reverse. She is charming, with a stunning voice, and holds her space on the stage beautifully. Ceravolo’s Jamie experiences the story the “right way around”, and so he has the job of helping us see where the relationship began and tie the story together, providing balance to Cathy’s journey from the beginning. Ceravolo starts with an endearing goofy quality that he manages to let go of slowly as the story progresses, while still retaining a charm that is undeniable.
The Last Five Years is a great production where all of the cast and crew have worked hard to make sure every detail matters to create a show that is undeniably a beautiful piece of theatre.
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