Ordinary Days
London Theatre Workshop
Reviewed on Friday 14th March 2014
Following 2008 and 2011 London runs, Adam Gwon's musical Ordinary Days has returned to London. The production is the first show to run at the London Theatre Workshop, a new fringe venue in Fulham. Set in New York City, Ordinary Days follows the lives of four characters as their day to day business connects and intertwines.
Ordinary Days is a refreshing piece of theatre. It's an utter joy to watch something so simple, real and relatable. Ray Rackham has directed the piece with great fluidity, the seventy-five minutes fly by. Gwon's piece is mostly sung-through, featuring some fantastic numbers. However, the primary aim of the score is to tell the story which cleverly begins with the cast directly addressing the audience, before revealing how their lives are already/come to be linked.
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| Oliver Watton & Marcia Brown |
All four cast members give superb performances. Technically not every note of every song is sung perfectly, but more importantly they drive the piece forward, giving strong portrayals. Interestingly I didn't find myself siding with one particular character - there are no 'goodies' or 'baddies', just four ordinary people.
Olga-Marie Pratt particularly stands out. Her impeccable comic timing had the audience in stitches and her vocals were faultless. Pratt stars opposite Anton Tweedale who is instantly likeable as geeky Warren.
Oliver Watton (Jason) graces the stage with natural charm, shining throughout. He has truly mastered his delivery of 'Fine', a duet with Marcia Brown (Claire) which I found absolutely hysterical and was my personal highlight.
The London Theatre Workshop is a beautiful fringe venue. The pub is stylish and welcoming, I would highly recommend arriving early for dinner. The actual theatre is impressive, unlike most fringe venues the stage isn't squashed. The design is simple but very classy, if the theatre can sustain high quality work like Ordinary Days it could easily become one of London's top fringe venues. The only thing letting it down is its name. 'London Theatre Workshop' doesn't sound particularly interesting or prestigious. I think the theatre deserves a name which reflects its unique charm and quality, something more memorable.
If you want to see something different and escape from your own troubles for seventy-five minutes you must make an effort to see Ordinary Days. It manages to be funny, touching and sad, all at the same time. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the London Theatre Workshop.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Ordinary Days runs at the London Theatre Workshop (65 New Kings Road, London SW6 4SG) until Saturday 29th March 2014. Please visit www.londontheatreworkshop.co.uk for further information and tickets.
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