Houston and Rice (Credit: David Mandel)
PURE Theatre today announced Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years featuring Manny Houston and Heather Rice. First produced at PURE 15 years ago, this freshly reimagined staging showcases local singer/songwriters and actors Manny Houston and Heather Rice. The show will run from November 7th through November 30th at the Cannon Street Arts Center.
Love, heartache, and the passage of time are woven together with music in a mesmerizing journey—from the meet-cute to the break-up and then right back to the start. “Richly dramatic and piercingly honest,” PURE’s production is a passionate and intimate take on one of contemporary theatre’s most beloved musicals. The show is directed by PURE’s Artistic and Executive Director Sharon Graci with music direction by Misha Pekar.
“Ever since seeing Joshua Henry sing the role of Jamie at Town Hall in 2016, I've wanted desperately to dig into this role,” says Houston. “I feel very honored that we will be bringing our musician selves to this production, and elevating it past the standard song cycle we've seen throughout the years. I'm also very excited to be directed by Sharon Graci, who I believe is such a visionary and a brilliant storyteller. To have her bring this to life, as well as being able to work with the phenomenal Heather Rice, is something that most actors only dream of.”
Artistically raised in Charleston, and now based in NYC, Houston is thrilled to return home to do a musical where it all started. He recently made his Broadway debut in Justin Peck's production of ILLINOISE: A NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL, and was last seen on the National Tour of FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME: LAS VEGAS, and FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: NEXT GENERATION.
“I’m really looking forward to playing this part,” says Rice, a Charleston-based artist known for her powerful voice, intelligent songwriting, and dynamic concerts; most notably A Tribute to Joni Mitchell for Symphony Orchestra. “Cathy is so deeply feeling and complex. The music is very challenging, and I love singing it! Working with Manny so far has been an absolute dream. He’s such a consummate professional and a great friend.”
Rice is an opener for Joan Osborne, Sheryl Crow, and Lady Antebellum, and has been featured with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, The Orlando Jazz Orchestra, The Charleston Jazz Orchestra, the North Charleston Pops, and the Charleston Symphony.
Tickets for The Last Five Years range from $47 to $53. Pay What You Will Performances will be on November 7th and November 13th, and Pay What You Will tickets will be available for online purchase two weeks before the show's opening. There are $12 student tickets available for every show. The Last Five Years is also available through the Season 22 Flex Pass. Tickets and Flex Passes are available now at puretheatre.org.
Additional information about The Last Five Years can be found on PURE’s website at or by calling the box office at 843.723.4444 (Tuesday through Friday, 10 am - 4 pm).
