By: Liz Slocum ~Staff Writer~

Xavier University’s rendition of Jason Robert Brown’s musical, “The Last 5 Years” opened on Sept. 5 at the Gallagher Theater to fantastic results.

The plot follows a young couple from the first encounter to the development of mutual infatuation, followed by engagement, marriage and eventual breakdown.

The story line offers a painfully honest portrayal of what happens in relationships between two people with conflicting interests and busy lives who both fell a little too fast.

Cathy, played by junior Maya Farhat, is an aspiring performer who is revealed to the audience as having not yet found a man who treats her well and wants to commit.

Jamie, played by junior Griff Bludworth, is a rising author who has also had bad luck in his past attempts at dating.

In the midst of the lofty goals they each strive to attain, they meet and fall in love.

What is unique about this musical is that the end of the story is revealed in the very first musical number.

Cathy’s point of view begins with the emotional end of the relationship and works its way to the beginning, while Jamie’s point of view does the opposite — starting at the optimistic beginning.

In the end, the audience is given a bittersweet finale with Jamie lamenting the end while Cathy simultaneously celebrates the start of an exciting new adventure.

With very little spoken dialogue, this musical does an excellent job telling a story mostly through song instead of dialogue.

Even though the audience already knows how it ends by the time the first number is over, it is still left with the mystery of how the story began in the first place.

Farhat’s and Bludworth’s musical and theatrical talent made a show consisting of only two characters come to life the same way a cast of many would.

This innovative, intense, two person musical was something truly awesome that has graced the Xavier stage. For the first production of the year.