Popular singer and performer Caitlin Currie makes her directorial debut with Art for Awareness’ latest production Ordinary Days, running from June 8th to 10th at the Gordon Best Theatre in downtown Peterborough.
Starring Joshua Butcher, Keely Wilson, Carl Christensen, and Hannah Bailey, with musical accompaniment by Justin Hiscox, Ordinary Days continues Art for Awareness’ tradition of producing superb quality musical theatre that’s both interesting and emotional. With an incredible cast of some of my favourite musical performers in Peterborough, Ordinary Days is a moving production filled with laughter and tears.
Written by Adam Gwon, Ordinary Days made its New York debut in 2009 in the Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Marion Steinberg Center for Theater where it was deemed a critical success. An extremely modern look at the lives of four New Yorkers, Ordinary Days is a unique play with two separate stories, one dramatic and one comedic, which barely cross over with the exception of one moment — but it’s a moment that impacts the lives of all four characters.
With two sets of characters who barely interact with the other, it’s an interesting structure that works remarkably well.
The first story features an optimistic but poor and unsuccessful artist named Warren (Josh Butcher) who drifts through the streets of New York passing out flyers with positive slogans on them.
Collecting lost items that he finds on the streets, Warren discovers a book filled with thesis notes belonging to overwhelmed grad student Deb (Keely Wilson), who believes she has lost her notes forever.
Discovering an email address inside the book, Warren contacts Deb and has her meet him at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where, despite their differences, the two strike up an unlikely friendship filled with lessons to be learned.
The second plot features Jason (Carl Christensen) and Claire (Hannah Bailey) who, after dating for a year, have decided to move in with one another. However, as soon as Jason moves in, Claire appears to already have regrets and begins to push him away.
A hopeless romantic who wants things to work out, Jason does everything he can to reclaim the magic of their relationship, but everything he does seems to make matters worse. With their relationship quickly falling apart, eventually it is revealed that Claire has emotional scars from the past preventing her from allowing Jason in her life.
Although Ordinary Days has a terrific script and a great musical score, the success of this production is the delicious cast of performers Caitlin Currie has assembled to make the show come to life. Together, they have created a powerful piece of musical theatre that plays with the audience’s emotions.
It is wonderful to see Carl Christensen again so soon, fresh off of his performance in the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s production of More Than a Memory, after what seemed to be a long break from the stage. Carl is one of Peterborough’s favourite musical performers and he truly has a golden voice.
In the role of Jason, Carl gives some of the most emotional musical performances of the evening, filled with equal amounts of love and pathos. Through songs such as “Favorite Places” and his solo in “Fine,” Jason searches for why he isn’t able to make his relationship with Claire work, and Carl is able to bring that desire, confusion, and hurt out in his performance. It’s a sensitive and tender role executed expertly by a local treasure.
Furthermore, Carl has a wonderful chemistry with Hannah Bailey, who makes her return to the Peterborough stage after a long absence. One of my favourite performers on the Peterborough stage, I have often felt Hannah is one of the most under-celebrated actresses in our community. She really is among the best at what she does, but in past performances has had to share the stage with so many people that her moments in the spotlight have been limited. In Ordinary Days, Hannah is finally given the centre stage she deserves, flexing her vocal muscles and finallyg getting the full attention of the audience.
Hannah gives a tremendous performance as Claire, which seems as if it was tailor made for her strengths as an actress. Get ready for Hannah’s performance of “I’ll be Here” near the end of the show. This show-stopping number brought the preview audience to tears. You’re in for an emotional roller coaster ride.
Although I have seen Josh Butcher in tons of different types of productions, including his recent one-man show The Origin of a Designated Driver — which moved audiences earlier this year at The Theatre on King — this is the first time I can recall Josh ever taking a lead role in a musical. With his usual larger than life stage presence, Josh fills the stage with his warmth and optimism in the role of Warren.
What I didn’t expect was the power of Josh’s singing voice. Although I knew he could act, hidden inside Josh is a musical theatre star who has so far gone unnoticed. Josh is a complete delight, and by playing the quirkiest character in the show, he gets a lot of the laughs. But his quirks come with inspiration, cutting through the heartache and cynicism that often appears within dramas, as well as in our own lives.
Josh is paired with Keely Wilson, who has become one of my new favourite performers in theatre. Each time I see Keely on stage she wins me over just a little more. Ordinary Days is her best performance to date, showcasing not only her talent for musical theatre, but also her spot-on comic timing. Her performance of “Dear Professor Thompson” is comedic gold, and her parts in “Saturday at the Met” (especially once Deb and Warren finally meet) is hilarious.
And nobody orders coffee in song better than Keely. But the role isn’t without its beautiful moments as well. There is just something so endearing about Josh and Keely when they come together, and when they do so in “Rooftop Duet”, stage magic is made.
But Ordinary Days has another character besides the four actors on stage: the music. It’s difficult to describe but, when the different characters perform their solos, the music often seems to answer them. As musical director Justin Hiscox explained when I mentioned this observation to him after the preview, the music also “talks” in the same emotional language of the performers themselves.
As the only musician performing a score from a show that has all songs and no dialogue (as well as no intermission), Justin’s accompaniment is a tremendous task. Once again, Justin proves why he is one of the most valuable perfomers in our community. His musical performance is the shoulders that Ordinary Days stands upon.
Peterborough is a community that loves its musical theatre and I see a lot of musicals over the course of a year. But there are only a few times I can say a musical has brought me joy and truly made me feel some genuine raw emotions. Ordinary Days is one of them. It has become one of my new favourite musicals.
Ordinary Days also proves a good musical doesn’t need large production numbers and a huge cast. While that doesn’t necessarily hurt, sometimes all a show needs is four perfect performers, one talented musician, and a director with the passion and heart to put together something truly special. Caitlin Currie’s directorial debut is a huge success.
Do not miss this one. Shows like Ordinary Days only come along once in a while.
Ordinary Days runs for four performances from Thursday June 8th to Saturday June 10th. Shows start at 8 pm with Saturday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and are available in advance at www.artforawareness.net/tickets/ or at the door, with partial proceeds going to Hospice Peterborough.
