MANILA, Philippines?The night before I headed home from Los Angeles, I watched the final dress rehearsal of the newest East West Players? offering, ?The Last Five Years? by Jason Robert Brown. It is actually the second in a performance of two one-act musicals, the first being ?Marry Me a Little,? by Stephen Sondheim.

?The Last Five Years? is the story of Cathy, an actress, and Jamie, an author. The musical tracks their relationship in the course of five years, with a little twist: we move forward in time with Jamie after his first date with Cathy, and backward with Cathy from her discovery of a goodbye letter and Jamie?s wedding ring. The two stories meet in the middle, on their wedding day.

I had never seen a production of the show (it was staged in Manila a few years ago by Actors? Actors Inc., with Audie Gemora as Jamie and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Cathy; I can only imagine how electric that run must have been), so the invitation to watch the dress rehearsal was indeed a treat.

Two good friends of mine, Michael K. Lee and Jennifer Paz play the leads (I have worked with both?with Michael in ?They?re Playing Our Song? and with Jen in ?Flower Drum Song?). Since the rehearsal of the first musical was running late, I went to the upstairs ladies dressing room and hung out with Mike and Jen.

Once it came time for their rehearsal to begin, I headed downstairs and found myself a comfy seat. I noticed the set was just a framed projection screen and two chairs. At center stage was a grand piano for musical director Marc Macalintal and another chair for the guitarist.

I?ll refrain from saying any more about the show? except that I loved it.

Masterfully directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, the tale unfolds?two sides of the same story... two separate points of view? the giddy anticipation of seeing one another after that first date? a road trip? dealing with distance, jealousy, and one another?s artistic ups and downs? the joy of an engagement and the wedding day? the challenge of monogamy? and the crushing realization that even with best efforts, the relationship isn?t going to work.

This is all staged with stark simplicity, so one?s focus is on the two characters as they undergo separate transformations and tell their stories.

I speak of Michael and Jennifer as a team, as this is a two-hander and difficult to execute? and they execute it beautifully. Each lends a great deal of sensitivity and empathy to the characters they play. They are each funny, heartbreaking, passionate and wonderful. It was such a thrill to watch them. Kudos, too, to the rest of the creative staff for a job well done.

I had some trouble with the sound system; there were times when I couldn?t hear either actor, but that?s a technical glitch that is usually remedied in time for paying audiences.

To those of you reading this from Los Angeles, please go see ?Marry Me a Little/The Last Five Years.? It runs until June 21 at East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. For tickets and other details, visit http://www.eastwestplayers.org.

To boldly go where no one?s gone before

Last weekend, my husband (as my Mother?s Day treat) took me to lunch and a movie: ?Star Trek,? directed by J.J. Abrams (among his long list of credits as writer, producer, composer and director are ?Felicity,? ?Lost,? ?Alias,? ?Forever Young,? ?Cloverfield,? and ?Regarding Henry?). I had seen a few trailers on TV, photos on the Internet, and read a few reviews, all glowing. I cannot in good conscience call myself a Trekkie or Trekker? however, I did watch a few episodes of the original series and watched one or two of the motion pictures released after the series ended.

Let me say this: It isn?t your mama?s ?Star Trek.?

Yes, all the characters you know, love and remember from the iconic series are still there - Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Sulu, Uhura, Chekhov, Scotty, and a shipload of Romulans led by the menacing Eric Bana. But? this is a re-imagining of the ?Star Trek? history. Others have called it a ?re-origin.? Characters? back stories, as told in the series, are retold (I won?t say why; you?ll have to figure out for yourself) which makes this film a very new ?beginning? to those unfamiliar with the Star Trek mythology, and an alternate reality for its ardent followers.

Doesn?t hurt that just about everyone in the film is fantastically good-looking (including Mr. Spock, played by Zachary Quinto) and that there?s no shortage of slickly directed action sequences. It was also sweet to include Leonard Nimoy (the original Mr. Spock) in this incarnation? I cried when he appeared on screen.

If you haven?t seen this movie, go quickly. Or should I say, boldly?

Finally? To my little princess Nicole, who turns 3 on Saturday, ?Happy Birthday!?