Not all musicals are flashy and lighthearted.

No Refund Theatre will present The Last Five Years, a musical without glitz and glamour, this weekend in the Forum Building.

The show is more of a serious kind of musical, cast member Eva Heppelmann (sophomore-theatre) said. She is one of the two characters in the play.

"I've been in love with this show for a long time, so I was very excited that they're doing this show," Heppelmann said.

The play is a love story between the two characters, a Jewish boy and an Irish Catholic girl. Heppelmann's character, Kathleen, travels backward in time, while the other character, Jamie, travels forward, said Lizz Collins (sophomore-theatre and women's studies), the director of the play.

"It follows from the time they meet until their separation. It begins when Kathleen finds a note from Jamie saying that he's leaving. They don't interact the entire time until they get married," Collins said. "[The story] is told from Jamie's point of view."

Nathan Gardner (freshman-musical theatre) plays Jamie in the musical.

"[The show] is pretty well-known throughout musical theater," Gardner said. "It's contemporary music, really interesting songs and concept, using songs to tell a story between two people backwards and forwards."

Heppelmann has performed in two other shows for No Refund Theatre. She said she liked the fact that there is only one other character to deal with in this show.

"I think it's really wonderful because you don't have to worry about everyone else, and there are less distractions," she said. "You get to really connect with the other person and learn the material."

There is also an added pressure, Gardner said.

"There's a different kind of pressure as a performer," he said. "You have to keep the audience entertained while singing. It's hard because you have to create the whole thing yourself and make a lot of your own choices. But at the same time, you don't get the input of other people you get to work with on stage."

With only two characters, the show is much more intimate than others, Collins said.

"I loved the intimacy and emotion that was in the show," she said. "[The audience] is there for every moment and every fight. It's real life, and it's heartbreaking. I've seen it over 50 times, and I still cry every time."