Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler Announce “The Last Five Years” Live Album

Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler surprised audiences on April 3 with a major announcement from the stage of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. During the curtain call of their one-night-only performance of Jason Robert Brown’s beloved musical, the two stars revealed that an official live recording of their anniversary production would be released on April 20 via Atlantic Records. The album, titled “The Last Five Years (25th Anniversary Live at the London Palladium),” is now available for pre-order and pre-save.

The announcement came at the close of a remarkable run of sold-out performances tied to the 25th anniversary of one of musical theater’s most enduring works. Platt and Zegler headlined a concert residency at London’s historic Palladium from March 24 to March 29, playing the roles of Jamie and Cathy in this specially staged production. That limited engagement, which drew rapturous responses from London audiences, forms the basis of the recorded album.

“The Last Five Years” first premiered in 2001 and has held an enduring place in the musical theater canon in the years since. Brown’s score is celebrated for its emotional directness and theatrical ambition, anchored by a storytelling structure unlike almost anything else in the genre. The musical follows two New Yorkers, a novelist and an actress, across a five-year relationship, told through interlocking solo songs. Jamie’s story moves forward chronologically while Cathy’s unfolds in reverse, with the two characters sharing only one moment at the show’s center. The result is a portrait of love, ambition, and loss that lands differently depending on whose perspective an audience member follows most closely.

For this 25th anniversary staging, Brown himself serves as both director and conductor, lending particular authority to the material. The symphonic scale of the London Palladium production carries through into the recording, which Atlantic Records describes as capturing the full emotional depth of Platt and Zegler’s performances.

Speaking from the Hollywood Bowl stage, Platt offered a candid reflection on the experience and the reasoning behind the album. “We were all so sad to see it go, and really wanted to immortalize this amazing experience and this incredible score,” he said, before formally announcing that the live recording was available for pre-order immediately.

The pairing of Platt and Zegler has been one of the defining draws of the anniversary celebrations. Platt, a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner, is best known for originating the title role in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway. He has also released three solo albums and earned a second Tony nomination for his work in the Michael Arden-directed revival of “Parade.” Zegler, a Golden Globe winner, first broke through with her acclaimed performance in “West Side Story” and has since starred in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and a celebrated London revival of “Evita.” She made her Broadway debut opposite Kit Connor in “Romeo + Juliet” and drew further attention for her work in Disney’s live-action “Snow White.” Their combined stage and screen pedigree gave the anniversary production a profile well beyond the typical concert staging, and their chemistry in the roles of Cathy and Jamie became a central talking point of the London residency.

The 25th anniversary celebration does not end with the album release. Platt, Zegler, and Brown are set to bring the production to New York City for two final sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall on April 6 and April 7. Those shows represent the last performances of this concert staging, making the live album a particularly valuable document for fans who could not secure tickets to any of the limited dates.

The release places “The Last Five Years (25th Anniversary Live at the London Palladium)” in distinguished company within Atlantic Records’ catalog. The label has a long-running record in musical theater, having previously released Grammy Award-winning cast recordings for “Hamilton,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” and “Jagged Little Pill,” among others. More recent Grammy-nominated releases include “The Notebook,” “Suffs,” and “Just In Time.” The new album arrives with considerable momentum behind it and with clear anticipation from theater communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

“The Last Five Years” has also remained highly active on stage in recent years. A Broadway production in 2025 featured Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren as Jamie and Cathy, with both performers earning Drama League Award nominations for their work. The current concert staging takes a different approach, pairing the musical’s intimate two-person narrative with the scale of major concert venues and a full orchestra. Both productions underscore the staying power of Brown’s work a quarter century after its debut, and the live album ensures that this particular version, with this particular cast, will not be forgotten once the final curtain falls at Radio City Music Hall.

Pre-orders and pre-saves for “The Last Five Years (25th Anniversary Live at the London Palladium)” are available now. The album arrives April 20 via Atlantic Records.