Award-Winning musical 'The Last Five Years' set for historic Sligo premiere at Hawk's Well Theatre

The Hawk’s Well Theatre will present the Sligo premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years for a strictly limited engagement from 3 to 6 June 2026. The production is directed by Kieran Griffiths with musical direction by Niamh Crowley. The musical portrays a five-year relationship between Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress, and Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, combining raw emotion, fierce humor, and storytelling. The structure uses two opposing timelines: Cathy’s story unfolds in reverse chronological order from the end of the marriage back to the first date. The production features an elite creative team, a full orchestra, and a two-person cast led by Karen Gordon as Cathy and Warren McCook as Jamie.

"The Hawk's Well Theatre is proud to present the highly anticipated Sligo premiere of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, running for a strictly limited engagement from Wednesday, 3rd June to Saturday, 6th June 2026. Directed by the acclaimed Kieran Griffiths, with sublime musical direction by Niamh Crowley, this brand-new, locally crafted production promises an unforgettable evening of raw emotion, incredible music, and wonderful storytelling."

"Written and composed by three-time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is an intimate, emotionally devastating, and fiercely funny portrait of a five-year relationship between two young New Yorkers: Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress, and Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist. What makes the show a masterpiece of modern musical theatre is its ingenious structural design."

"The story is told through two unique perspectives. Cathy tells her story in reverse chronological order-beginning at the painful end of their marriage and moving backward to the thrill of their first date. This premiere production brings together an elite creative team, breathtaking orchestra and a stellar two-person cast."

"Starring as Cathy is Sligo native Karen Gordon, known to audiences through her long-term work with Pop Up Theatre, The Star Factory and among other local productions, who brings warmth, sharp wit, and emotional precision to a character navigating the harsh realities of chasing a dream. Starring opposite her as Jamie is the brilliant Warren McCook, whose powerhouse vocals and charisma capture the drive, unyielding optimism, and ultimate unravelling of a man caught between sudden success and a fracturing love life."

Read at Irish Independent