As the curtains prepare to rise on Barefoot Theatre Collaborative’s highly anticipated production of “The Last Five Years,” the air is thick with anticipation. This musical, known for its poignant portrayal of love’s triumphs and complexities, is set to captivate audiences starting tomorrow, September 29th until October 15th. But before the spotlight shines on stage, we had the privilege of sitting down for an intimate one-on-one conversation with the talented duo at the heart of the show, Gab Pangilinan and Myke Solomon.

In this exclusive interview, we asked Gab and Myke 5 questions each that delved deep into their thoughts and emotions, exploring how they connect with their roles and the unique insights they bring to this musical. But what makes this interview truly remarkable is the revelation that these two talented actors, portraying a couple on the brink of a breakup, are themselves newlyweds in real life. We explored the challenges and rewards of this dynamic, offering a glimpse into the chemistry that promises to elevate this performance to new heights.

The Last Five Years is known to be a story about the complexities of a relationship. You’re newly married to Myke. How can you relate to the characters’ emotional journey and what aspects of Cathy can you resonate with?

GAB: I read recently in a post that when you fall in love, or when you get married, or when you decide to be with somebody for the rest of your life, you kind of go through, you experience different ‘funerals’ during the duration of your relationship. Because you say goodbye to multiple personalities of that person, because we are always evolving as people, we’re always changing. So because you choose to be with somebody, this person will change. Wala kang choice eh, they will change throughout the course of your relationship, throughout your lives. They will change. So you will be saying goodbye to every personality that person changes into. And you will be accepting somebody new, as long as that person evolves and as long as ne lives, he will continue to be evolving pero love nga is a choice, sab inga nila.

Pero I guess the beauty about ‘The Last Five Years’ is more than the relationship. Because Myke and I, we met each other at work. So work has always been a part of our dynamic. So parang more than just the relationship, it’s also a story about two artists that come together. They are two young artists trying to make it in this world, which I feel, is not just relatable but true-to-life siya, ganon talaga. Parang Myke and I also, we strive to be better artists all these years together and apart, individually and as a couple.

So that’s why also Cathy and Jamie are similar to us, that’s why we resonate so much with them also. And the way The Last Five Years is written, it’s moments in their relationship so it makes you wonder why Jason Robert Brown chose those specific moments in the long five years that they had together. Because from a regular person’s point of view, it’s just one specific moment in those five years, bakit yung moment na yun? So I guess each moment was so vital to their relationship or even to them. Not as a couple but to them as artists, so that’s what makes it interesting kasi we get to explore that. Not just us as a couple but also us as artists. So kaya siya exciting I guess. Kaya siya fun gawin I mean it’s so much fun just exploring with fellow artists also.

Speaking of the moments, is there a specific moment or song in the play, without giving too much away that you really love, it’s your favorite or you can personally really resonate with?

GAB: Ako personally, it’s ‘Climbing Up Hill’. Because ‘Climbing Up Hill’, for those who are not familiar with it, is the song where she auditions. I mean she has multiple failed auditions. It kind of shows, she expresses her thoughts during the audition. And I think on a personal level, as somebody who went through that. I mean any theater actor, or any actor actually, it’s been told that actors experience the most rejections that they can experience in their lifetimes. And I think, I mean it’s’ part of the job. When you audition for something, when you get accepted or when you get rejected, kasama sya sa buong proseso ng pagiging actor. So I think pinaka-close to home yung ‘Climbing Up Hill’. Yung talagang while the audition is still happening, all the feelings and emotions, it’s a billion emotions condensed into one song so I think that’s the song.

What unique perspective or dynamic do you bring to your on-stage relationship with Myke, given your real-life marriage?

GAB: I think, at least personally, whenever I portray a new character or a new role, it’s also important to Topper (Fabregas) as our director that we find the truth in the character. We try to tell the story as truthfully as possible. So it’s not personally like putting personal stuff from our relationship but really more on finding the truth about that we are saying. I mean, there’s so many lyrics of Jason Bobert Brown in ‘The Last Five Years’ that for us, that we actually mean. Something as simple as the lyric ‘Have I mentioned today how lucky I am to be in love with you?’ That’s in the Schmuel Song. And that’s one of the realest lines there is. Kasi right now, we’ve been a couple for awhile pero we just got married so even that, of course it’s me and Myke as Jamie and Cathy but that moment of the next 10 minutes where they get engaged and they get married, it’s so close to home.

We just try to tell the story as truthfully as possible tapos kusang mangyayari na lang kung ano man yun. And I think for any story as an actor ‘yun naman yung job – to tell that story as truthfully as possible, whether or not it is relatable in real life. Pero nagkataon lang talaga na we’re a newly wed couple doing this kind of show. So I think that makes it all the more special and meaningful.

The Last Five Years is happening soon, it’s already on September 29. Why do you think everyone should see this show? How will this staging be different from the past ones?

GAB: Well I think this production of ‘The Last Five Years’ it is a labor of love. It was a dream project turned into reality. So I think any young struggling artist, or young up-and-coming artist or just any kind of creative trying to make it in this world, they would definitely be able to relate to the story, whether or not they’re in a relationship. Or if you’re single, ]yes it’s about a relationship, but more than that, it’s also about two artists trying to make it. So I feel like more than the heartache, which oo naman mararamdaman natin yun, it’s also about that.

If that is something you are into or that is something you want to witness or you want to see a labor of love in front of you, I would recommend that you would come and see ‘The Last Five Years’ kasi I think that’s what it is. It’s passionate artists coming together to tell a beautiful love story no matter how heartbreaking it is.

What’s your key takeaway from your character as Cathy?

GAB:  I think it’s so easy to deduce Cathy into a needy, untalented girlfriend because of how she’s written. But I feel like, as Topper also mentioned before, yung takeaway ko dito is no relationship is black and white. Lalo na two artists in a relationship, timing is a part of that. Timing is part of the success or failure of anyone. Yes, the relationship ends but there is life after ‘The Last Five Years’. And I feel like there’s more to Catchy than what many other people kind of make her out to be. And tama, it could be it just wasn’t her time but the heartbreak could have launched her to success. Alam mo yon? Whatever you go through in your life, it is just preparing you for what is to come. And for the better things that have yet to come.

So how does it feel that you were chosen as Jamie?

MYKE: It’s quite a hike. *laughs* The songs are really hard, daunting and everything. You have to be prepared – mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared for it because wala siyang pahinga. Tuluy-tuloy siya. You can’t even rest and prepare yourself for the next scene. You just have to be prepared to do the show from the start.

The story involves a unique storytelling structure. How did you prepare to navigate in this narrative style?

MYKE: Unang-una, trinack ko muna yung chronological order niya and then at the same time, I had to consider what happened every year. So it’s basically 5 years. And at the same time, it’s interesting din na pabaligtad siya kasi ang ganda ng process ni Jason Robert Brown. Ang ganda nga ng sinabi ni sir Rony Fortich na we all know that ‘The Last Five Years’ is like the story of Titanic. You know that the boat sank, so what happened? So what really happened there? Why did it sink? Yun lang naman ‘yun. Yung parang, oo nga eh. Sobrang simple na nilatag kaagad yung 11 o’clock hour then sabay-sabay tutuhugin in one place, the audience and the storytellers, yung story. What happened in the relationship. ‘Yun yung beauty sa storytelling na ‘yun, na it’s pockets, it’s like a slice of their relationship. It’s very specific eh. Para sa’kin ang pinakamahirap is ‘If I Didn’t Believe in You’. Yung ang pinakamahirap para sa’kin. It’s so personal, it’s so intimate. Parang na-elaborate ni Jason Robert Brown yung napaka-specific na away ng married couple. Kaya sobrang hirap because you have to dive into that situation.

Can you share a moment, or probably a song in the play that deeply resonates with you and something that really stands out for you?

MYKE: Ako ang favorite ko ngayon, ‘The Schmuel Song’. I think doon ako nakaka-relate talaga kasi I would always try to cheer up everyone when they’re down. Yun, as simple as that. It’s Jamie’s special way to cheer up Cathy through his art. He actually wrote a novel about her. So ‘yun yung discovery ko this year. Na ang ganda pala ng kantang ‘to. Para siyang yakap sa lahat. Na kahit ano pang mangyari, you just have to wait for that day to shine, to succeed. To make that ‘dream dress’.

How do you connect with the character’s journey of heartbreak and growth in all aspects – in the relationship, in the career that Jamie had?

MYKE: Actually, it’s my first time to do a story like this. So sobrang fresh siya sa’kin. Para akong Grade 1 ulit. You have to consider a lot of things, a lot of nuance doon sa story in telling every scene so mahirap siya, sobrang hirap niya. Para sa’kin, I need to create this character so that I can use it. Sometimes I infuse my experiences, my instincts and everything but I have to detach because it’s a special story. It’s a story of another person so I really have to know that person, for me to deserve the story so I can tell it better.

I need to tell it with truth and intentions kasi ang complicated nya ‘coz for me, andami na kasing iterations ng ‘The Last Five Years’. I’ve heard the Cynthia Erivo version and I saw an online version of The Last Five Years done by people in New York during the pandemic so shinoot nila yun sa isang apartment lang. Pandemic yun so nandun lang talaga sila. And the movie. Iba-iba syang version talaga. Like the movie parang it was lensed through the eyes of Cathy.

Andami pa talaga naming nadidiscover kasi these are two flawed people and they’re not on the same page. So it’s easy to judge the characters so you have to find all the details, you have to find all the objective, why did they do this, did that. And why it happened. Yung yung big responsibility namin bago naming i-kwento, i-chika sa 280 audience. Ang ganda lang talaga nung story kasi andaming push and pull.

What’s your biggest takeaway from your character as Jamie?

MYKE: As a married person, kung hindi mo kayang magbigay ng lahat, you don’t know how to love selflessly, then don’t get married. Yun na ‘yun. If you’re not ready to commit to a person, then don’t. kasi it’s a confstant battle with the person and with yourself. So you have to solve that before you commit to a higher level of commitment. Iba ang marriage eh. It’s a bond between three entities – you, your spouse and God. So kailangan mo ng accountability sa tatlong person na yun. If you can’t do it, then don’t. Maybe it’s not for you.

So get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions! Gab Pangilinan and Myke Solomon spilled the beans on their roles and what makes “The Last Five Years” so special. Their chemistry is off the charts, and you won’t want to miss it! So, what are you waiting for? Grab your tickets now at bit.ly/l5ytickets .

They still have limited #L5Y2023 tickets for remaining shows until October 15. Get yours while you can and let’s make this musical a date to remember. See you at the theater! 🎶💔❤️

About the Author

Apple Gamboa is the Life Editor of SubSelfie.com.

She is also the Senior Executive for Corporate Communications for Canon Philippines.

She was previously a Media Relations Manager for Ogilvy Philippines and an interview and field producer for GMA News programs Quick Response Team and News to Go. She was also a producer of lifestyle TV shows and documentaries. Travelling and music are her passion, and taking risks is her reality medicine. Journalism 2010, UST. Read more of her articles here.