“Day’s voice is incredible and her character’s emotional reveal at the end of the piece is perfectly delivered”
Written by Adam Gwon, Ordinary Days is a musical about four people living in New York whose lives are inexplicably linked through a series of unlikely events.
The first song is extremely underwhelming and this continues throughout the piece despite the expert piano playing of Rowland Braché. Within a few moments of leaving the theatre I was struggling to remember the melody or title of any of the songs.
The script itself feels a little vague and rushed. It didn’t really leave any time for the couples’ relationship to be established and then developed. This just led to me feeling quite disconnected from their storyline. Perhaps if this piece was slightly longer this issue could be resolved. Some characters feel more realistic than others but again that’s probably related to the length of the piece.
There are standout performances though from Nora Perone as Deb and Natalie Day as Claire. Perone’s acting provides the majority of the funny, heartwarming moments. Natalie Day’s voice is incredible and her character’s emotional reveal at the end of the piece is perfectly delivered.
The set is basic but the use of space and lighting does mean it’s less noticeable. At one point a spotlight is used while a character leans against a wall at the edge of the stage. It’s not a traditional approach to staging but in this case it is highly effective.
Overall Ordinary Days isn’t the most engaging or exciting piece of musical theatre. However, it does feature a few extremely good performances. The entire concept of placing ordinary centre stage results in it being just that; ordinary.
