Ordinary Days, produced by Bold & Blunt Creative and performed at Flight Path Theatre, takes us on a journey to New York in the early 2000s. An off-Broadway success, the sung-through musical follows the stories of four characters working through the challenges of everyday life. The story touches on art, taking chances, dreaming big, building relationships and recovering after trauma. There is nothing too complex in the plot but there is joy to be found in interrogating smaller moments not usually portrayed on stage.
There were two main storylines; one was romantic and the other was about friendship, I loved this. It is beautiful to see a platonic relationship platformed and I found that Warren (played by Ethan Bourke) and Deb (played by Producer Chantal Elyse) had a lot of chemistry. The other two characters were a couple grappling with the difficulties that come with moving in together and taking the next steps – Claire (played by Associate Producer Jordan Berry) and Jason (played by Lachlan Ceravolo).
I was lucky enough to see the opening night show and he performances from the four cast members were very earnest. As the show went on, I felt the cast become more confident, and the characters more vulnerable. Bourke was a highlight for me; he was very charismatic and made the audience want to get to know him. Ceravolo gave us a very convincing, though at times, one-sided love story. Both Elyse and Berry had wonderful voices. I especially loved the duets, group numbers and the songs where the passion and frustration of the characters peeked through – this felt distinctly human!
The pianist was a highlight, tucked in the corner of the stage, playing for the full 90 minutes – no intermission. I enjoyed the music a lot and was surprised with how immersive the singing was with only the piano. Songs seamlessly connected as scenes changed, and at times I forgot that we had live accompaniment. Congratulations to the Musical Director – Joseph O’Reilly.
The set was simple but effective with the New York skyline created out of posters and flyers, and just a couple of desks. Both lighting and sound were used well to signpost the mood changes, which was essential with the pared back set design. The cast used the space masterfully, popping out from within the audience and the theatre door which aided the audience to feel engaged and part of the story. There were laughs at the funny quips and audible gasps when Warren tripped, we felt invested in Deb finding her thesis and Claire having a personal breakthrough.
Overall, this was a very wholesome production from a team who has clearly worked extremely hard. There are a lot of lyrics in this musical, it’s impressive. For fans of RENT or Amélie who love whimsy, it’s worth a watch.
To book tickets to Ordinary Days, please visit https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/ordinary-days.
Photographer: Andrea Magpulong,Philip Le Masurier Photography
