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Ordinary Days (2007) is an 80-minute, situation musical comedy written by Adam Gwon, whose conversational quality is easily comparable to fellow musical realistic composers and their productions such as Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years and Brian Lowdermilk’s The Unauthorised Autobiography of Samantha Brown. The intimate Rondo Theatre, in light of this, is a perfect venue for this type of musical theatre as the actors can, and did, make their performance style more introspected to draw audiences in.
The plot follows two New York couples whose paths cross but at no point interact at the New York Met Museum, and where Warren and Deb throw their flyers off a building. The first couple is a developing romance between Jason (Andrew English) and Claire (Aimi Kuhlke), a couple who start living together and have to learn to adjust. The second, the progression of friendship between Warren (Tom Corbishley), a modern art lover and a dreamer who works as an ambassador (cat sitter) for a local artist and Deb (Anna Robertonson) a bookish, nerdy New York college student was really well brought to life by Anna Robertson’s crisp diction.
Exit Stage Left’s director (Alison McCausland) comments that the company wanted to put on Ordinary Days, as its main theme is how ordinary lives, when viewed at a distance are in fact extraordinary. What I took away from this production was the importance of the moment in the characters lives when they choose to let go. This moment appeared to be fundamental to each character’s narrative arch, beautifully symbolised in the moment where Warren and Deb throw their flyers and course notes onto the public below.
Warren, who feels invisible, has to let go of his desire to copy the success of others and follow his own path. Deb, her anxiety about needing to impress tutors by writing a dissertation she is not passionate about and to learn to appreciate the beauty in all things. Jason has to seemingly let go of his need to control and force the relationship between him and Claire forward. All of these revelations crescendo to Claire’s realisation that she needs to let go of the memory of her ex-husband and his possessions, to move on, to accommodate for the new love in her life. This was beautifully realised in the tear-inducing song performed by Aimi Kuhlke ‘I’ll Be Here’.
Becca Long’s (set designer) choice to create the New York cityscape from brown cardboard boxes with lampshades really suited the piece by aiding to differentiating the intimate bedrooms from the larger city. Using cardboard gave the impression that Exit Stage Left’s production was a pop-up book that had seemingly come to life. A great performance, for ten weeks work, thank you to everyone at Exit Stage Left for inviting us to come and review you show, we wish you all the rest of luck with your run.
Ordinary Days
The Rondo Theatre, Larkhall
14th – 18th July 2015
Doors: 7:30pm
Start: 8pm
4 stars
Tickets available from Bath Box Office (www.bathboxoffice.org.uk)
01225 463362