Nick Jonas, Adrienne Warren are incompatible

Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt have never been in sync.

That’s not just a fact of their relationship, but the crux of The Last Five Years, which traces their doomed love story backwards and forwards in time. As Jamie lives out their romance from its origins to its end, Cathy reflects from love’s last gasp. They meet in the middle, two ships passing in the night, but even then, they’re far apart in all the ways that truly matter.

The same can be said for Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren… for the most part. 

Where prior productions (off-Broadway and beyond) of this Jason Robert Brown musical see Jamie (Jonas) and Cathy (Warren) sparingly share the stage, director Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) makes the clever choice to capitalize on their chemistry by putting the duo together much more than usual. Now, they gaze into one another’s eyes, walk hand in hand, share a dance, a steamy moment in bed, a comedic exchange. Their wordless flirtations, where they step into the same timeline, are alluring. But still, they aren’t on the same page.

In some ways, this serves the material quite well. After all, sudden superstar novelist Jamie is “Moving Too Fast” while his aspiring actress partner is stuck in a permanent rut. As all his dreams come true, Cathy’s only get further away. The distance between them should be palpable, and it is. But not always in a way that feels intentional.

This two-character musical rests heavily on the shoulders of its stars, who are telling their stories in opposite directions, often singing to ghosts of one another. Across its brisk 90 minutes, The Last Five Years sees Jamie and Cathy alternate songs, hinting at the cracks in their marriage.  These are showcase songs: The musical gives its performers center stage with nothing to hide behind and plenty of spotlight to fill. Both stars rise to the occasion.

Jonas is funny, playing up Jamie’s arrogance as he winks at the audience. Warren is captivating, making the material her own with soaring vocals. But big songs also demand big emotion — which Warren effortlessly achieves. It’s a well-considered, layered performance. Even through the backwards progression, Cathy feels whole, consistent. In that regard, Jonas is walking shakier ground.

He may be originating the role on Broadway, but as fans are all too aware, he’s doing so in the shadow of Norbert Leo Butz, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeremy Jordan, just to name a few. They’re big shoes to fill, and Jonas mostly manages to hold his own. He is particularly adept when it comes to the show’s comedic sensibilities and plays deliciously into Jamie’s arrogance.

“A Miracle Would Happen” marries both the elements he nails so well, as Jamie struggles to resist the temptation of other women with his star on the rise. He’s at his douchiest and his funniest. But emotionally, the performance is lacking. 

He’s not in an easy position: Brown based the story on his own failed marriage and in some ways, paints the male lead as its villain. Jamie is pretentious, unfaithful, and fails to understand what his wife truly needed from him (“I could never rescue you” is quite the slap in the face). But for this to matter, we need to feel the ache that something here has been lost, something worth having. Alas, this Jamie is more bravado than nuance.

Jonas almost finds it in the end, finally giving us a whiff of Jamie’s interiority when he pleads for Cathy to see things his way in “If I Didn’t Believe In You.” He’s on the verge of cracking the character open with “Nobody Needs to Know,” but it’s too little, too late. Sharing the stage with Warren only accentuates what his performance is missing. She is genuinely moving, evocative with every note. Even when she is on stage for the sole purpose of reacting to Jamie’s songs, Warren’s expressions tell a silent story with quiet complexity. At her side, Jonas underwhelms.

There’s no question that both of these stars know how to command a stage. Jonas’ pop star status means he is no stranger to winning over a crowd, while Warren is a proven success with a Tony already under her belt. But the emotional disconnect is impossible to overcome in a show that’s almost entirely sentimental ballads. 

This isn’t a show bolstered by big surprises or elaborate staging. The Last Five Years presents a rather unremarkable way for a relationship to crumble: two artists in New York who are never in the same place at the same time; whose own aspirations overtake everything else; who can’t help but compare their success; who long for a partner on their level and at their side; who can’t hear what the other wants over the sound of their own desires. But there’s such earnest sentimentality packed into the lyrics and orchestrations that it’s all too easy to forget how minuscule this story is. The breakdown of a single marriage suddenly carries such seismic angst.

That’s nothing new from Brown; the Tony-winning composer writes the kind of music that moves, endears, tickles, and entertains. This is no exception. Parade and The Bridges of Madison County got him his awards, but The Last Five Years has amassed its cult following for good reason. 

Production-wise, David Zinn’s set is stripped back, offering little guidance as we flit between timelines while Stacey Derosier’s lighting design dazzles, carrying the audience through the progression, blending and manipulating time, putting us in one moment and then another with the flicker of a light. That simplicity feels so apt for this show,

There’s enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism. Their talent is undeniable. These songs soar, and these performers rise to the occasion of that showcase. They’re funny, flirty, and always charming. But their performances never quite come together, and the material demands more compatibility than this production delivers. Grade: B–