One director, two cast members and three weekends to catch the show.
The Muncie Civic Theatre is kicking off its Studio Theatre with "The Last Five Years." The musical follows the personal relationship during the young marriage between a writer, Jaime, and an actress, Cathy.
The musical is under the direction of Robert Dirden. He has directed shows for 10 years, but is a costumer by nature and has been for more than 20 years. He started volunteering at the Muncie Civic at age 15 with the children's shows.
"'The Last Five Years' is a simple story about a relationship," Dirden said. "It's everybody's story. Every relationship, whether it goes good or bad, has two sides to it. It's about a relationship that had bad communication and just didn't work out. It's a universal story."
Amanda Hummer plays Cathy. She said her character is an actress struggling to make her way in New York City, and Jaime's writing is inspired by her struggles.
"The whole purpose of the show is to see Cathy and Jamie reflect on their relationship, and the interesting thing is you only ever hear one side of the argument or one side of the passion," Hummer said. "This is called 'The Last Five Years' because it is the last five years of their relationship."
Cody Ricks plays Jamie, who left an Ivy League school to become a writer and whose instance success brought hardships to his relationship with Cathy. Ricks said he finds the structure of the story of "The Last Five Years" interesting.
"The structure is set up so Cathy's character starts at the very end of the relationship, and Jaime starts at the very beginning," Ricks said. "She goes backward through time, and he goes forward. They meet together once in the show, and then they continue to go their separate ways."
Hummer and Ricks may be the only two cast members, but they said there is no awkwardness for them. They've known each other since high school.
"Cody and I are best friends, and we actually use to date in high school," Hummer said. "The chemistry that comes to us during the show is, I think, very natural because we have that kind of intimacy already. It's not something we had to develop."
Dirden said having a small cast has allowed him to have more one-on-one time with the actors.
"I've had so much time to actually get into the actors' heads and help them with the process of this musical," he said. "It's easier with just two people. There are fewer props, less costumes, less people being late to rehearsal. It was a process I was leery about, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the musical. But having the time to let the actors have their input has made the process so smooth."
Hummer said that there are many different ways to interpret the story, so she is excited to see the audience's reaction.
"From this musical, I hope the audience learns to appreciate what they have, to treat themselves well and their partners well," she said. "This opens your eyes to how you're going to treat your partner in life and learning to compromise in a way that is not detrimental to each party."
Ricks said he has learned a lesson his character didn't.
"I've had to put myself into the shoes of a cheater, and I have learned that the instant gratification you get from a few moments of cheating with somebody is not worth throwing away an entire relationship," he said.
"The Last Five Years" has taken over the Studio Theatre at the Muncie Civic Theatre. The show will continue Friday through Sunday and close on Sept 21-22. The shows begin at 8pm with the show on Sunday being a 2 p.m. matinee.
Tickets are $10 for all ages.
For more information about "The Last Five Years" and to purchase tickets, contact the Muncie Civic Theatre at 765-288-7529 or visit www.munciecivic.org.
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