The
title of Jamie Wellerstein’s bestselling debut novel sounds nauseatingly pretentious,
but Light Out of Darkness happens to
be a hat tip to Sondheim’s Merrily We
Roll Along, so all is forgiven. Regardless, his remarkable early success
will put strain on his marriage to a would-be Broadway actress. We know it will
not last, because he walks out in the first scene. We will subsequently see how
it all unraveled in Richard LaGravenese’s adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s
Off-Broadway musical, The Last Five Years
(trailer
here),
which opens this Friday in New York.
Wellerstein
is leaving and it looks like he is never coming back. Cathy Hiatt is obviously
devastated, but it gives her the first opportunity to show her range with the
nakedly revealing feature spot, “Still Hurting.” There is more to this story
than first appears. Wellerstein was once reasonably in love with Hiatt. It was
he who first suggested they live together, before he eventually proposed. Yet,
Wellerstein’s immediate success caused friction. Yes, it brought him into close
proximity of literary groupies and trampy editorial assistants, but it is
really caused more of a psychological disconnect between the brashly confident
Wellerstein and the increasingly despondent Wellerstein née Hiatt.
Although
the original stage production somewhat resembled Love Letters in its stripped down, dueling song-and-monologue
structure, LaGravenese opens it up quite nicely. He brings it out onto the
streets of New York and transforms the musical numbers into dramatic exchanges.
Frankly,
the real issue with LFY is common to
many new book musicals today. You might consider it the Rent effect. There simply is not enough emotional diversity to the
score. Each number requires the cast to start at practically a crescendo level,
maintaining the notes and the soul-baring wails. Even the show’s “novelty song,”
“Shiksa Goddess” requires Wellerstein to belt out at the top of his lungs. It
is more effective when a show goes up and down the scale. Give us some slow
groovers and easy loopers, but with catchy melodies. Then hit us with the
show-stopper.
Be
that as it may, Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan do everything that is asked of
them and then some. As a veteran of Broadway (the way better than you’ve heard Bonnie & Clyde) and Smash, Jordan exhibits the chops you
would expect, but the strength and clarity of Kendrick exceeds the expectations
established by Pitch Perfect and her
Tony nomination for High Society at
the precocious age of twelve. They also have appealing chemistry together in
the early days and convincingly push each away during the later bad times.
Together, they make the arc of the relationship feel true.
