Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is ambitious. The set-up alone is daunting: an Ohio couple tell the story of their relationship forwards from his perspective, backwards from hers. Combining an extraordinary mixture of a meagre two characters, four highly exposed parts of musical accompaniment and an extremely complex score, this musical provides endless opportunities for the action to break down or become incomprehensible. Yet, somehow, this show breezes through the potential obstacles in its way to present an impressive, emotionally engaging production.

As The Last Five Years encompasses an enormous variety of events and scenarios in the lives of Cathy (Rochelle Thomas) and Jamie (Guy Woolf), the ability of the performers to be versatile is absolutely crucial. Luckily, both characters rose to the challenge admirably, with Woolf evoking everything from a parody of an elderly, hunchbacked Jewish man to an incredibly earnest young writer in the first flushes of love with real conviction. Thomas also had an array of diverse demands from her character, and the vulnerability of Cathy and her reliance on Jamie really came through. As the scenes where Cathy is fully in control are limited, a little more sass injected into the character at the points where she is more dominant would have allowed an even greater contrast to the production overall.

Even allowing for the potential for more contrast, the ability of the two central characters to portray not only an eclectic variety of their own emotions, but also to depict their relationship's state of flux was particularly impressive. This changeability is underpinned by the rhythmically unrelenting score – the complexity of which seemed understated and, with masterful support from the band, was handled well by all performers. This allowed for near-perfect clarity from the protagonists, which was only very occasionally obscured by moments of diction slips and balance issues between accompaniment and vocal line.

The Last Five Years is exactly the sort of production that should be happening in Cambridge. It is challenging for audiences and performers alike, and displays the kind of theatrical magic that is possible in such an intimate setting. While being a vastly intricate show with innumerable complications and difficulties, it manages to be entertaining, moving, and above all, a showcase for exceptional dramatic talent.

The Last Five Years runs until Saturday at the Corpus Playroom, 7.00pm