Unconventional Four-actor Cast Sings Its Way Through The Last Five Years at PACA

James Wallace

The cast of PACA's latest production The Last Five Years is untraditional: with two people for each lead, whereas the roles are typically only played by one person each. This allows for four unique versions of the show, one you won't want to miss.

BEGINNING THURSDAY, JAN. 15

Every now and then a musical takes to the stage and speaks to audiences with so much truth and honesty about the human condition that, despite its release at a fixed moment in time, its popularity endures for decades to come. One such show is The Last Five Years, written by Jason Robert Brown, the story of a break-up told from two perspectives – one linear and one in reverse – which premiered in Chicago in 2001.

Since then it has been the subject of numerous productions, including a movie adaptation, and now the Performing Artists Collective Alliance (PACA) is bringing this live theater production to Erie for the latter half of January.

Of course, in true PACA-like fashion, the organization has put its own spin on the production, casting two Jamies and two Cathys, whereas the roles are typically only played by one person each.

Each actor at PACA will play against both counterpoints, which means there will be four different versions of the show.

"This is such a unique experience, because all four of us bring something completely different to our characters," said Ryan Dawley (40 Under 40 Class of 2024), who plays one of the Jamies, and is also the artistic director at PACA. "We make different choices, which changes the dynamic of the relationship you see on stage." Joining him are Brenna Thummler (40 Under 40 Class of 2023) and Karalyn Headley, while the other Jamie will be portrayed by Curtis Jones III.

"I highly recommend seeing it at least twice to experience the different performances," Dawley advised. The 90-minute show, which is almost entirely sung through, is under the direction of Emma Richardson, while Zachary Hoffman serves as assistant director. According to Dawley, the band under musical director Rhonda Berlin is absolute "fire!" – just like the conflagration of hope and love he and his castmates will be presenting to audiences from the stage.

Thursday through Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m., Sunday performances at 2 p.m. // PACA, 1505 State St // $25 // For tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com