Opening the season with a true musical treat to benefit the newly renovated, freshly invigorated Wilton Playshop, “The Last Five Years,” with book, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, is a clever, touching, totally contemporary look at love’s brightest and darkest moments. It will be performed one weekend only, Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m and Sunday, Sept. 14, at 3:30. Tickets are only $25 each. Jason Robert Brown is one of musical theater’s rising stars. With “The Last Five Years,” he has created a two-person romance-with-a-twist, filled with fresh sound and catchy lyrics. It’s the story of Cathy, a young, aspiring actress, played by Kate Canary, Wilton High School ’04 alum, and Jamie, a novelist, played by Michael Barr, Wilton High School ’03 alum. Both performers have impressive professional theater experience.

Director Maureen Canary says, “It’s all about music and so we’ve gone all out to have a six-piece orchestra, piano, guitar, violin, bass, cello and cello/viola, with music director Al Galletly.”

The story captures the ironic ups and downs of Cathy, who travels backwards in time, and Jamie, who travels forward, crystallizing the bitter sweetness of today’s relationships.

This promises to be an event that that will introduce and imprint some wonderful new melodies by a young man destined to be an outstanding creator of tomorrow’s hit Broadway musicals. It played very successfully to audiences at the Northlight Theater in Chicago and the Minetta Lane Theater in New York.

True to its usual tradition of hospitality, a reception will follow each performance, so that the audience may greet and meet the cast. Tickets are $25 (unusually reasonable for a benefit, but the goal is to totally fill the newly refurbished, comfortable theater).

“The Last Five Years,” is by arrangement with Music Theater International and the piano was donated by Westport/Fairfield Piano.