Ordinary Days is a 70-minute sung-through musical by Adam Gwon that was originally performed in 2009 and is now being shown by the Edinburgh Little Theatre group for a short run at this year’s fringe.
It is a funny and uplifting story centred around four characters whose lives become unexpectedly linked. Warren (Cameron Watson), the struggling artist-turned-cat-sitter, who finds the notebook of the perpetually stressed student, Deb (Georgina Shaw). At the same time, Jason (Sam Stuart Fraser) has just moved in with his girlfriend of a year, Claire (Catriona Lamb, who must also be credited with the direction) and the two of them enter a turbulent time in their relationship and are unable to communicate with each other.
Watson brings immediate energy to Ordinary Days with his rendition of ‘One By One’ – the opening number, which had the whole audience chuckling. This was followed by Shaw’s introduction with ‘Don’t Wanna Be Here’, in which she channelled Deb’s intensity and perfectly delivered the character’s ironic one-liners.
Fraser took a little longer to get into character, though once he was his performance as Jason was charming and suave which was the perfect contrast to Lamb’s rendition of Claire. The two of them have fantastic chemistry together and draw the audience into their lives – their duets of ‘I’m Trying’ and ‘Fine’ were hilarious and truly showcased both of their talent.
It would be remiss of me to not mention Lamb’s final song ‘I’ll Be Here’, which left me blinking away tears. I was only successful in doing so as I was caught up in amazement at her voice as she belted the high notes. Shaw must also be commended on her performance of ‘Calm’ – a very fast-paced song which she was able to keep up with as well as keep her pronunciation clear.
Ordinary Days is a heart-warming story with a very catchy score and an incredibly talented cast of four. It has a very limited run at this year’s fringe and is a must-see for all musical theatre fans.
