Jason Robert Brown partially restores my faith in American theatre

I have this sort of historical fiction in my head. In it, I'm the same me that I am now, the same age, doing the same job that I do now and find myself confronted by the same problem: I see a lot of shows and the overwhelming majority of those shows aren't very good. "Overwhelming" is a word I use because I am often "overwhelmed" by feelings of discouragement.

In my historical fiction, though, it's 2002. And I've been sent to the Minetta Lane Theatre to see "The Last Five Years," a sung through musical written by a more-or-less unknown composer named Jason Robert Brown, whose only credit to speak of was a musical revue that ran for 12 performances at the WPA seven years ago. I'm probably covering it because Hal Prince's daughter is directing it. I get to Minetta Lane figuring that any halfway decent musical would be playing at a bigger house than this. I get my program and my seat. My heart sinks when I see that Brown wrote the music and the lyrics and that there's no book and -- God... -- he's conducting the modest pit orchestra. Fantastic... another ill-conceived vanity project which, for reasons unknown, has curried the kind of favor that sees Hal Prince's daughter directing your play at the Minetta Lane. And it's a two-hander. Shoot me. Please.

The set's confusing. I think I'm looking down on a wedding reception. Oh dear God, I hope this isn't a relationship yarn. I hate yarns.

The lights come down. A few rolling piano chords and we're off.

And ninety minutes later, I remember why I love theatre.

For some reason, the image of a younger Jason Robert Brown back stage at Minetta Lane, in his blacks, behind a beat up piano, conducting an orchestra of six (including himself) kept coming back to me tonight, as I watched him, in a thermal and slacks, behind an immaculate baby grand, conducting that same orchestra of six at Birdland and he and Lauren Kennedy sang through the score. In the six years between my fantasy and today, "The Last Five Years" has achieved a cult status to rival almost any other show out there, save "Rent" or "Rocky Horror." Its tunes have become a favorite for auditioners and cabaret artists alike. Brown's won a Tony and been nominated for another. He's a rockstar in the theatre community. But six years ago, he wasn't anybody. He was pounding it out for a buck just like any artist trying to make it. That fact is nothing short of magical. And I couldn't get it out of my head tonight.

But that's not really the point. That's kind of abstract and the point is pretty simple: "The Last Five Years" is a fucking good show. And it didn't come from the National in London. And there wasn't an industry reading of it to encourage a bidding war. It started in Skokie, IL and then moved to the big city (sans half its actors) and there it was. The simple fact that a great play just appeared at a small theatre downtown gives me scads of hope. IT COULD HAPPEN. Those three words are exciting. I could go downtown to some studio theater that I've never been to and I could stumble into a beautiful, wonderful show. It's possible. It has happened before. It could happen again.

Great shows are not to provenance of agents and managers and cynical artistic officers.

They don't have to be heralded by great reviews from abroad or from the major regionals.

They can just come from one guy and a piano backstage.