THE LAST FIVE YEARS, Starring Samantha Barks & Jonathan Bailey, Begins Tonight in London

As previously announced, Jason Robert Brown will direct his two-hander musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS in London this fall, starring Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey as Cathy and Jamie. The production will run at the St. James Theatre starting tonight, October 28, and playing through November 26, 2016.

Barks and Bailey will reunite after appearing together in the Disney Channel series GROOVE HIGH in 2012.

Brown's musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS, which was recently adapted into a film starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, made its off-Broadway debut in 2002, was revived in New York City in 2013 with Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe, and just appeared in concert with Joshua Henry and Cynthia Erivo.

Per press notes, "The Last Five Years is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical telling the story of Jamie and Cathy, two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. As aspiring author Jamie gets the book deal of his dreams, actress Cathy struggles to get work and make sense of the way her career has turned out. Can a couple once united by their dreams, stay connected as their paths begin to divide? Known for its unique structure, The Last Five Years sees their stories told in opposite directions; Jamie moving forwards and Cathy backwards through their relationship, meeting only briefly for a moment in time as their stories cross."

Barks recently took on the title role in AMÉLIE, A NEW MUSICAL at Berkeley Repertory Theatre; the show will be moving to Broadway this season starring HAMILTON's Phillipa Soo. The actress, who starred as 'Eponine' in the 2010 London production of LES MISERABLES, reprised her part for the recent movie adaptation. She has also appeared in the UK tours of OLIVER! and CABARET, and as 'Velma Kelly' in the 2013 production of CHICAGO at the Hollywood Bowl.

Bailey, known for his roles on ITV's BROADCHURCH and the BBC's LEONARDO, recently appeared in AMERICAN PSYCHO at The Almeida Theatre. Before that, he took the stage in OTHELLO at the Royal National Theatre, SOUTH DOWNS at the Harold Pinter Theatre, HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE at Chichester, GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING at Theatre Royal Haymarket, THE MOTHER SHIP at Birmingham Rep, and more. He also played 'Gavroche' in LES MISERABLES at London's Palace Theatre.

Composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, director and performer Jason Robert Brown is best known for his dazzling scores to several of the most renowned musicals of his generation, including SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, and PARADE, for which he won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Score. Among his other works are THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS and 13. He is currently working on a show with Marsha Norman and on the new King Kong musical.