Fans of Jonas Brothers, admirers of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and enthusiasts of Jason Robert Brown, prepare yourselves: In the coming spring, Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren will lead the inaugural Broadway rendition of Brown’s Drama Desk Award-grabbing musical The Last Five Years, directed by 2024 Tony nominee Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding).
The announcement comes nearly 25 years after Brown—the talented composer-lyricist known for Parade, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, and Mr. Saturday Night—penned the musical’s first song. “It was the beginning where I embarked without any clue of the destination,” he remembered in a release, “without a producer or allies, purely on my own journey to unearth the tunes and words that would narrate a story bending my heart into impossible forms each day.”
Brown added: “For a quarter-century, The Last Five Years has been my guide on its odyssey, from our premiere in Skokie in 2001 to our Off-Broadway debut a year after, a captivating film adaptation, a history-making revival at Second Stage, and countless renditions across the globe. I’ve always trusted that, when ready, The Last Five Years would find its place on Broadway. Having Nick and Adrienne embody these characters is every composer’s fantasy, and Whitney’s remarkable leadership is what any playwright hopes for. It’s taken 25 years, but the moment has arrived.”
Aside from the Jonas Brothers’ brief stint at the Marquis Theatre last year, The Last Five Years signals Nick Jonas’s return to Broadway since 2012, where he took over the role of J. Pierrepont Finch from Daniel Radcliffe and Darren Criss in a revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Meanwhile, Warren last graced the stage in her Tony-awarded performance in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical between 2019 and 2021.
According to the show’s summary, The Last Five Years “narrates the romance and eventual separation of two New Yorkers, up-and-coming novelist Jamie and aspiring thespian Cathy, as they traverse their five-year relationship,” probing “whether a couple, initially bonded by dreams, can maintain their connection as their lives take divergent courses.” Brown, who also penned the script, loosely drew inspiration from his initial marriage.
“The Last Five Years is a quintessential American original musical in our repertoire,” White shared in a declaration. “We all know how challenging it is to let go of something; a romance, a career, a place, a bond that no longer serves us. But to me, the heartache central to the show dances alongside love and opportunity. Audiences will be astounded, once more, by Jason Robert Brown’s ingenious composition, orchestration, and musical vision, as they see reflections of themselves in Jamie and Cathy—two youths navigating life.”