By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHEN? Tuesday 25 March and runs through 29 March 2026 RUNTIME: 90 minutes (no interval)

Zegler (EVITA, London Palladium) plays struggling actress Cathy in this 25th anniversary concert performance of a musical opposite Ben Platt’s Jamie who is becoming a successful author.

• Read on for reasons including how Zegler and Platt give thrilling performances in this unusual concert staging

The Last Five Years consists of 14 songs with Jamie’s songs being sung in chronological order with Cathy’s in reverse and a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect.

It’s hard to think of a better musical theatre vocalist than Zegler, who won our 2025 Best Theatre Actress monsta for EVITA and is shortlisted for an Olivier Award for it next month, and the closest comparison we can think of with such impressive diction and tone is Julie Andrews.

Concert stagings are renowned for their lack of dialogue and acting but there are appropriate props here and Platt is such a good storyteller that it’s clear here that Jamie’s head is being turned by success at a young age and the unexpected popularity it affords him despite and perhaps because of his marriage.

Zegler has more work to do because her storyline is non-linear but it’s fascinating to watch her go from heartbreak and anger back to optimism and joy.

To add to the sense of occasion of tonight’s performance it is directed and conducted by Jason Robert Brown who wrote The Last Five Years.

There is an 8-strong band backing him including a string quintet, guitarist, bassist and percussionist.

The material holds up in this concert staging which should perhaps be no surprise because Zegler’s quirky highlight A Summer In Ohio is already a Best Performance Of A Song monsta winner.

The pair are rapturously received by this adoring audience many of whom like us will have extremely fond memories of Zegler giving the performance of a lifetime at this very venue last summer.

Platt returns to perform in London this summer at an intimate venue which already looks like a very hot ticket for the future.

The Last Five Years is 1 of our favourite musicals, this is very much a victory lap for Zegler after her EVITA and both she and Platt give thrilling performances in this unusual concert staging.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy London Palladium Tickets
• Have you seen a Rachel Zegler or Ben Platt show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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