Ordinary Days First Preview

[dave1606]

Posted: 10/2/09 at 9:35pm

Anyone else go?

I was there and actually really enjoyed myself. Beware of that theater though, the sight lines are non-existent. I would recommend getting there early (as seating is General Admission) and aiming for the front row because otherwise, if you wind up with the insanely tall people I had in front of me, both at first and after moving, you are going to be craning your neck the entire show.

The show reminded me of a show at the York I saw last year called In-Transit, about a group of New Yorkers colliding on a subway. Then of course this year's Happiness as well certainly came to mind.

Ordinary Days falls somewhere in between the two. The show's strongest asset is its music and lyrics, which are smartly written and often quite beautiful. Also, the cast is perfect. Hunter Foster, Lisa Brescia, Kate Wetherhead, and Jared Gertner are all fantastic. For me Kate Wetherhead was a revelation. Her comedic timing was perfect and facial expressions priceless.

Hunter Foster had some very strong songs as well, but for me his "Favorite places" was a little rough. Lisa Brescia sings a heartbreaking song later in the show and pulls it off quite nicely. I was definitely getting emotional. Jared Gertner plays his character's eagerness to perfection.

The set was very clever, especially the use of lighting. The show isn't perfect, with some strange director choices, and it kinda fell into an ending (maybe a technical problem?) but they were minor in the scheme of things. My boyfriend is convinced it is the best thing that Roundabout has done this season. I might still like Wishful Drinking, better, but it is still one of my favorites. If I can get tickets I might go back and check in on the show in December.

Runtime: 85 minutes. we were out at 8:25 (early curtain at 7pm)

Updated On: 10/2/09 at 09:35 PM

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/2/09 at 9:52pm

I saw the invited dress last night and absolutely loved it! I have been thinking about it nonstop since last night. The music is great. I adored the song Claire sang in the taxi cab. And her last song is obviously memorable. The music was beautiful! I've had a couple stuck in my head all day. The story was really simple and nice. I will hopefully be going back!

Updated On: 10/2/09 at 09:52 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/3/09 at 1:35am

I'm excited! I'm going this weekend!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/3/09 at 1:45am

I'll be there tomorrow afternoon and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm a huge fan of Lisa Brescia and I'm glad she gets a chance to shine in this show. Will report back tomorrow.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:38pm

I saw it second preview, and absolutely adored it! I was really struck by the stories and the acting. I know I loved the music throughout the show, however the second I left the theater I couldn't remember a single song. I'm far too tired for a full review, but I absolutely adored the show and definitely recommend it!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:40pm

I really enjoyed it too and will definitely see it again!

[legally_popular]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:58pm

Thank you everyone for all your reviews. I am planning on seeing this as soon as I can. The actors and basic synopsis alone caught my interest and am now I am glad to hear that the music and lyrics are great too. I have a feeling I will really enjoy it. I loved Happiness too btw, as flawed as it was. I am really looking forward to this.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 12:20am

I saw it, and I just thought it was "eh." There wasn't anything really wrong with it, it just didn't really strike me as anything interesting. It's just another typical like "I'm writing a show about New York." The songs were okay, but nothing that made me want a second listen. The acting was all fine, and if I had to pick a weak link, I'd say Hunter Foster just because he doesn't have much of a "character" where as the others you sort of pick up on their distinct personalities right away. I thought the set was rather bland, and the use of the space was really boring considering the previous two shows. My one big problem was with the direction. Behind the audience in the aisle, is another "set" that gets used a few times, but since all of the seats are facing forward we never really have any reason to look behind us, and I noticed a few times that some of the actors would be standing there and staring or something, but pretty much everyone would miss it because it's not really in our line of sight.

[tking001]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 2:10pm

How do I get tix for this
Do they have rush or a lotto? I don't see it on TDF

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 2:11pm

all tix are $20, just go to the regular Roundabout site.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 10/14/09 at 4:44pm

I saw a few of the songs ("Fine" and "I'll Be Here) performed by Signature Theatre-affiliated actors in DC as Adam Gwon is part of their "new voices" project in September. I caught the actual show at the Roundabout this past weekend and thought it was very strong musically (with shades of a JRB or Salzman and Cunningham sound) and actually grabbed me more than the similar show Happiness. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Kate Weatherhead being a standout for me. "I'll Be Here" moved me as it did last month.