Cast & Creative Team Announced For The Last Five Years
Reading Rep Theatre, The Barn Theatre, and Theatre Royal Bath are delighted to announce the cast and creative team for the Built by Barn Musical of The Last Five Years. A Reading Rep Theatre, Barn Theatre, and Theatre Royal Bath Co-Production.
Acclaimed stage performers Martha Kirby (Evita, Bat Out of Hell, Grease) and Guy Woolf (The Cher Show, As You Like It, Becoming Electra) will star in this bold new revival of Jason Robert Brown’s modern Musical Theatre masterpiece. This marks a landmark moment as Reading Rep Theatre stages its first ever musical running from Friday 19 September - Saturday 11 October.
The Last Five Years explores the rollercoaster journey of two New Yorkers as they navigate their five-year marriage asking the question, “Can this couple that were once bonded by a shared love of creativity remain united as their lives move in different directions?” Jamie’s side of the story starts at the beginning, filled with the fizz of new romance and continues chronologically, while Cathy’s retelling begins at the end, reflecting a much sadder reality and moving backwards. Indicative of the turbulent reality of love on the rocks, The Last Five Years is a beautiful and truly impactful musical that will be on your mind long after the final curtain.
Martha Kirby, who will play Cathy, previous major credits include Eva Peron in Evita at Leicester Curve Theatre, Raven in the UK tour of Bat Out Of Hell, and Sandy in the UK tour of Grease .She can currently be seen playing Wendy in the world premiere of the five star immersive musical Club NVRLND at 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Guy Woolf, who will play Jamie, was recently seen as Reyzl the Dame in Yankl and the Beanstalk at London’s Pleasance Theatre and previous credits include Dennis in As You Like It at The Globe, alternate Sonny in the UK & Ireland tour of The Cher Show, and Electra in Becoming Electra: A Queer Mitzvah at The Roundhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, and Hope Mill Theatre.
With a soaring score by Tony Award–winning composer Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years tells the story of Cathy and Jamie as they chart the rise and fall of their five-year relationship from two opposite timelines. Their stories cross only once - at their wedding - in a heart-wrenching and innovative structure that has captivated audiences worldwide.
Paul Stacey, Founding Artistic Director & CEO of Reading Rep Theatre, said: “We are thrilled to be working with such exceptional talent. Martha and Guy bring extraordinary experience and star power to The Last Five Years, ensuring that our first musical at Reading Rep will be a landmark production for our company and our audiences”
Joining writer Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years will be directed by Hal Chambers (Yippee Ki Yay with Seabright Productions, As We Face The Sun at Rose Bruford College, The Holly King and The Oak King at Battersea Arts Centre) with set and costume design by Ethan Cheek (This is My Family at Southwark Playhouse, The Woman is White at Electric Theatre, Twelfth Night with the National Youth Theatre), lighting design by Jonathan Chan (Sinbad the Sailor at Sadlers Wells, Get Happy at Omnibus Theatre, Volpane at Central School of Speech and Drama), choreographer and movement director will be Georgina Lamb (Great British Bake Off: The Musical on the West End, Much Ado About Nothing at The Globe, Macbeth at Leeds Playhouse), music direction from Ellie Verkerk (School for Scandal with Royal Shakespeare Company, Starter For Ten at Bristol Old Vic, Oh What A Lovely War at Blackeyed Theatre) and Harry Blumenau will be on casting direction.
Director Hal Jones said “I’ve wanted to direct The Last Five Years for over twenty years. Though my background lies in classical adaptations and new writing, this is the one musical I’ve always dreamed of staging. I’m a passionate admirer of Jason Robert Brown’s extraordinary work - its storytelling, music, and emotional depth are unmatched. The narrative structure, with Cathy moving backwards through time and Jamie forwards, creates a compelling theatrical puzzle reminiscent of a Christopher Nolan film. It feels like a haunting memory play - dreamlike, poetic, and full of magical realism. Our production will lean into that, using bold imagery and movement to explore the ghosts of a relationship and the raw beauty of love and heartbreak. The music is breath-taking - joyful, witty, devastating - and I can’t wait to bring it to life with our cast. Performed in intimate venues, our vision promises a deeply personal and emotionally resonant Last Five Years that captures the show’s unique intimacy and power.”
Reading Rep Theatre Executive Director Nick Thompson and Founding Artistic Director Paul Stacey said, "We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with the Barn Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath to reimagine one of the most powerful musicals of the 21st century. The Last Five Years is a masterpiece, bold, intimate and emotionally resonant, and with this extraordinary team of creatives at the helm, we’re confident this revival will be both timely and timeless. This collaboration exemplifies the very best of regional theatre: shared vision, exceptional talent and a deep commitment to producing work of the highest calibre for audiences across the country. We can't wait to open it in Reading"
Reading Rep Theatre
Reading Rep is a leading regional producing theatre based in Reading, Berkshire. Since its founding in 2012, the company has built a reputation for bold programming, inventive adaptations, and boundary-pushing revivals - often in collaboration with some of the UK’s most acclaimed theatres. Its productions have toured nationally and received praise from The Guardian, The Telegraph and Broadway World.
From their state-of-the-art venue on King’s Road, Reading Rep produces reimagined classics, West End–quality musicals, fresh new writing, and innovative adaptations. Their work has garnered national critical acclaim, touring regionally, nationally and internationally – while remaining rooted in the community they serve.
As a disabled practitioner, Stacey founded Reading Rep to break down barriers to accessing theatre. That founding principle continues to define the company’s mission: to create world-class theatre for everyone. Either through their financially accessible offers to placing community at the heart of the company or by working with over 10,000 individuals, through their ENGAGE award winning outreach programme, to ensure anyone no matter their background can access the arts.
The 2025/26 season marks a new high point for the company, featuring co-productions with The Barn Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath, following their successful co-productions with The Watermill Theatre and London’s Jermyn Street Theatre, reflecting Reading Rep’s growing national profile.
readingrep.com | instagram.com/readingrep | facebook.com/ReadingRep
Praise for Reading Rep
“Heart-stopping theatre” — The Telegraph
“Sexy, fresh and captivating” — Broadway World
“Sincere and moving performance” — The Guardian
“One heck of a show” — Spy in the Stalls
“To have such an excellent theatre on our doorstep is a huge plus” — Audience member
Barn Theatre
Since launching in 2018, the Barn Theatre has gained national recognition having produced over 20 Built by Barn shows and being awarded The Stage Awards’ Best Fringe Theatre of the Year Award 2019. In 2023, the theatre celebrated its fifth anniversary with a season that included world premieres of Simon Reade's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's Waiting For Anya, Jonathan Lynn’s final instalment of his classic series I’m Sorry Prime Minister, I Can’t Quite Remember, as well as a reimagined revival production of the musical Once and the world premiere of a musical adaptation of Treasure Island. 2024 saw Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend, Constellations, Midsummer, Stones in His Pockets, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Room 13 and The Three Musketeers: Trois. 2025 started with A Role to Die For followed by Michael Morpurgo’s In the Mouth of the Wolf, Educating Rita, Friends! The Musical Parody, Haywire and The Last Five Years, before finishing the year with A Christmas Carol.
Barn Theatre | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube | Website
Theatre Royal Bath
Theatre Royal Bath is a registered charity (number 277723) which provides a programme of high-quality entertainment throughout the year and delivers arts education and participation opportunities for the local community. Built in 1805, the Theatre Royal Bath has three auditoria currently, the Main House, Ustinov Studio and The Egg.
Theatre Royal Bath Productions (TRBP) - the Theatre Royal’s commercial production arm - has created over 200 plays and productions since its inception, including more than 40 West End transfers. Recent West End transfers include A View From The Bridge starring Dominic West after its hugely successful opening run at the Theatre Royal Bath in spring 2024 and In 2025, The Deep Blue Sea starring Tamsin Grieg and The Score starring Brian Cox.
Website: theatreroyal.org.uk / X: TheatreRBath / Instagram: theatreroyalbath1805 / Facebook: Theatre Royal Bath
"The Ustinov Studio - the Theatre Royal's increasingly indispensable studio space" -
The Guardian