The Chocolate Church Arts Center presents the musical “The Last Five Years,” opening on Friday April 22.

The production is presented in collaboration with Studio Theatre of Bath and is the first live theater presented at the venue since March of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

“The Last Five Years” is written by Jason Robert Brown and is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical that charts the five-year relationship of Jamie and Cathy, two 20-something New Yorkers who fall head over heels in love. But in a city where professional and personal passions collide, navigating the waters of love and matrimony can sometimes prove to be too much. Jamie, an up-and-coming writer, struggles to balance his sudden success with his increasingly tumultuous love life, while Cathy, an aspiring actress, deals with the frustrations of her own stalled career while watching her husband from the sidelines.

The show was named one of TIME Magazine‘s 10 best shows of 2001, and as a testament to the show’s longevity, “The Last Five Years” enjoyed an off-Broadway revival at Second Stage in 2013. A film adaptation was released in 2014, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

This production stars Kyle Aarons and Becca Lewis and is co-directed by Marc Rodriguez and Thom Watson. Courtney Babbidge provides musical direction, and Ashley Steeves is choreographer. The show runs April 22 through May 1, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Tickets for all events at the Chocolate Church Arts Center are available for purchase at chocolatechurcharts.org, or by calling the box office at (207) 442-8455. All performances will be subject to CCAC’s current COVID-19 related policy, which requires audience members age 12 and up to be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours prior to arriving at a performance, along with a matching photo ID.