On Thursday senior Glynis Gilio will fulfill her 10-year-long dream: to perform the musical “The Last Five Years.”
Gilio’s passion for singing developed in middle school when she attended a fine arts camp in northern Michigan. During the those two summers she learned about Jason Robert Brown and his 2001 musical “The Last Five Years.” It was then she decided that someday she wanted to perform it.
“I listened to the music and I loved it so much. Later, when I did show choir in high school, a girl sang from that musical, and I knew I wanted to play Cathy at some point,” Gilio said. “This show just kept popping up in my life.”
Gilio will perform in McNamara Hall in Howard Music Building at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday.
In 2016 Gilio watched a concert performance of the musical and decided she would love to perform it in that way. So when her singing teacher, Teacher of Music Melissa Osmond, asked her what she would perform for her senior recital, Gilio had an answer.
“I told her, ‘I have this very ambitious idea of a concert version.’ Missy told me, ‘I want you to do what you’ve always wanted to do,’” Gilio said. “And I’m doing it. It’s wonderful to see something that you’ve held so close to your heart for so long come to fruition.”
“The Last Five Years,” a love story between a couple from New York in the 1990s, has only two characters: Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt. Gilio will be singing as Cathy. When picking the person to perform as Jamie, Gilio looked for someone with strong vocals and serious commitment.
“His songs are challenging,” Gilio said. “I knew I needed somebody who saw what I see in it.”
After hearing sophomore Ian Brown sing at last year’s spring recital, she knew he would be perfect for the part.
“He’s been right there along with me. He was very enthusiastic about it from the beginning,” Gilio said. “I can’t say enough about Ian.”
When Gilio asked Brown to join her on the stage, he said that he thought it was just a song, not an hour-and-fifteen-minute musical. But he knew he wanted to sing with Gilio, so he said yes.
“Glynis has been great to work with. She’s very easygoing and well prepared and helpful,” Brown said. “And obviously very talented.”
The two will be accompanied on stage by sophomore Samuel Musser on the piano and senior David Schwartzman on the violin.
“We’re not doing a full-staged version; it’ll be a concert version. There’s not costumes or anything,” Gilio said.
Sophomore Sheridan Michaud said she is looking forward to see her fellow Kappa Kappa Gamma sister and fellow track teammate perform together in the show.
“I think they’re both very, very talented, so it will be a very dynamic performance,” Michaud said. “She is really involved in campus, so I think a lot of people are attending. I know all of Kappa is going. She is amazing, and everyone is looking forward to it.”
