The Last Five Years; North Coast Repertory Theatre

San Diego Professional Premiere

Erin Cronican as Cathy Hiatt

Running November 20, 2004 through January 2, 2005

'Composer's got 'it' and we've got "Years"

" Melodies linger long after the lights come down on "The Last Five Years," the disarming little musical that opened Saturday at North Coast Repertory... As the idealized wife, Cathy, Erin Cronican [is] persuasive dramatically. Her Cathy is a pretty blonde too passive for her own good, unable to rise to the challenge of New York and the kind of artists the city breeds... Her best moments came in the every-actors-nightmare number, "Climbing Uphill." Part humiliating audition, part internal monologue, it's a dazzling short story encapsulating life in the theater... This sturdy production of "The Last Five Years" plays through the new year."

- Anne Marie Welsh, San Diego Union Tribune

'Fascinating 'Last 5 Years' charismatically delivered at North Coast Rep'

"Co-starring in the show with Lorenz is Erin Cronican, who's poised, likable and has a lovely melodic voice... As the musical opens, the heartbroken Cathy, a struggling actress, is reading a goodbye letter from her husband, Jamie, a successful novelist, in the haunting song "I'm Still Hurting"... Brown's writing is clever and contemporary, particularly in Cathy's stream-of-consciousness audition song "Climbing Uphill" and her hilarious "A Summer in Ohio"... Brown's score isn't an easy one to sing... but their voices blend well and they have good onstage chemistry. Cronican has a sweet tone to her voice, a classy stage presence, and she makes her character's pain believable. Her phrasing and delivery are terrific, particularly in the comic "A Summer in Ohio" and the opening "Still Hurting."

Pam Kragen, North County Times

'Rating: Three Stars'

"As in a traditional song-cycle musical, the story is told solely through music. Erin Cronican’s open solo, "Still Hurting," establishes Cathy’s feelings on a romance soured. Cronican presents a Cathy attempting to figure out exactly what went wrong in a relationship that began with so much love... Cronican and Lorenz handle the sliding emotions of both their characters quite well. Lorenz is a bit more animated, which balances Cronican’s lovely voice... The Last Five Years is an excellent production that spans emotions and reactions quite well. The cast has excellently interpreted the script."

Robert "Hitch" Hitchcox, TMC Press

'Erin is in Ire'

"Erin Cronican plays Cathy, a struggling actress, with desperate poignancy, and is terrific in "A Summer in Ohio," singing about the comical tortures of seasonal stock."

George Weinberg-Harter, Backstage West

'North Coast Rep's "The Last Five Years" '

"Erin Cronican stars as the initially more moody Cathy, artfully capturing the various emotions with her vocals as she works her way backwards in time toward their charming beginning. She also has the comedic highlight of the show as she sings to Jamie about how much fun she’s having working a summer in the exciting state of Ohio. The two are placed well throughout, sometimes separated and alone, sometimes singing to the other (usually with the silent one facing away from the audience and toward their lover)."

Rob Hopper, San Diego Playbill

'You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You may also cringe with recognition, but you’ll enjoy this show'

"The story is told in wonderful, easy-to-identify-with songs that really are sung dialogue (or sung stream-of-consciousness)... Lorenz and Cronican are an enormously attractive pair with voices and acting ability to carry this off. Cronican’s voice is clear and listenable; her opening song, “Still Hurting,” is especially lovely and poignant."

Jean Lowerison, Gay & Lesbian Times

'Worth a Try'

"At the North Coast Rep., director Peter Ellenstein has cast two talented, engaging performers, Jeremiah Lorenz and Erin Cronican... Cronican has a show-stopper... In "Climbing Uphill," Cathy does an audition and tells what it feels like as well."

Jeff Smith, San Diego Reader

'Proposal Accepted'

"Erin Cronican's Cathy was sung with the confidence required for the role. They still make a lovely couple, those two, and some sincere efforts on their part should be applauded."

Cuauhtemoc Q Kish, World Talk Radio

Question posed to Jason Robert brown, the composer, on a message board at BroadwayWorld.com:

"First of all, welcome to Mr. Brown. And thanks to the majority of you out there who have been friendly and respectful to him. I have been a huge fan of Mr. Brown's work since discovering The Last Five Years last year. What a clever and well-realized concept and what extraordinarily beautiful and funny and touching songs. I drove from Los Angeles to San Diego adjacent Solana Beach to see a superb production of TL5Y in December. Jeremiah Lorenz and Erin Cronican were perfection in the North Coast Rep production. I wonder if Mr. Brown has heard about this truly lovely version of his work..."

Sincerely,
Steven Stanley