“The Last Five Years” at NMU

NMUDoIt, a student theater group established early this year at Northern Michigan University, will present its first full-length production—the musical The Last Five Years—at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Nov. 16, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. Tickets are free (donations accepted). Written and composed by Drama Desk winner Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is described as an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their 20s who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

“It’s a different approach in that the character Cathy is telling her story backwards from the end of their relationship and Jamie is telling his from the beginning, tracing it to the end. Their stories only cross in the middle, when they get married,” said student director Lia Hielkema. “It premiered in the early 2000s and has continued to be a fan favorite. The show is completely sung through, and it’s comprised of entirely solos, except for two duets. It explores what it’s like to be young and in love and not quite yet established.”

Kayleigh Clark, who played Hope Harcourt in the NMU production of Anything Goes, will star as Cathy. Liam Fisher, who recently portrayed Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, will play Jamie.

The group’s faculty adviser, Donna Poirier of the Music Department, said this student-developed group is a valuable complement to the academic programs and shows offered by NMU Theatre & Dance.

“I think it’s terrific to allow students these opportunities to really take the helm,” she said. “They’re ready for the responsibility, and they’re getting experiences behind the scenes, like directing, perhaps a little bit more so than they would with one of our faculty-run mainstage productions. They also are getting a close look at the economics behind theater productions, and how much time that takes. They’ve done a tremendous job of stepping up to the plate and making sure that their bases are covered. It will be exciting to see initiative and creativity like this on our campus, and I’m hoping that it will inspire other students across departments.”

“Northern has had plenty of student productions and there’s another production company running called Fountain Space Theatre Company, but to my knowledge, this is the first one completely student-founded and student-funded,” Hielkema added. “We obtain funding through the Student Finance Committee.”

Hielkema co-founded NMUDoIt with Ryan Zepp and they serve as president and vice president, respectively. Kendyl Dahlstrom and Madalyn Hasyn are co-production managers.

The Last Five Years has been translated into a handful of languages and was named one of TIME Magazine’s ten best shows of 2001. A film adaptation was released in 2014, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

Though admission is free, advance tickets are required and can be obtained at https://linktr.ee/nmudoit