Customer Reviews

Ordinary Days

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is really wonderful, it was a fantastic gift that I received for my birthday.

Adam [Gwon] really shows off his talent in this piece, with a brilliant cast backing him up. Lisa [Brescia] really shines in this recording and Hunter [Foster], Kate [Wetherhead], and Jared [Gertner] are all fantastic as well.

Highlights for me personally are:

-Don't Wanna Be Here: a fun song with catchy, silly lyrics that are relatable. Kate's voice is quirky and nasally, which works well for her.

-Let Things Go: Lisa has a stunning voice with absolutely beautiful riffs in this song. Her voice truly dances over the notes and this is a sweet song that really speaks to the idea of how difficult it is for people to let things go.

-Favorite Places: this song showcases Hunter's character's (Jason) emotions brilliantly, with a soft tone and melancholy lyrics.

-Fine: a classic fight song, with that emotion of just wanting to get the fight over with and a charming, surprising ending.

-Big Picture: a good song detailing the uncertainty of the future and the last bit has a charming mixing of ideas and of the four characters.

-Hundred Story City: the sheer essence of New York City

-I'll Be Here: Potentially the most beautiful song on the entire album, heartbreakingly sung and just perfect, a must listen!

Amazing soundtrack from a wonderful show. Adam Gwon created a hit that people could relate to and embrace. Terrific cast has lent their voices to this wonderful cast album. Lisa Brescia is a talented actress with a voice thats truly touches your heart. Kate Wetherhead is also impressive! If you saw the show you will love the soundtrack! If you missed the show I recommend the soundtrack even more!

Every time any culture puts poetry on ordinary things and routine, this time is an exciting day of dreams, projects and hopes in New York city, the result is amazing, the best. This musical is presented in a little format with the only support for voices of a piano, maybe two. In Europe this form of art has only near a century of history, since Joyce's 'Ulisses'and every time it is presented it sounds like new, quite a prayer.

The other reviews here MUST be affiliated with the show and the actors, OR the writers of the reviews are not extensively experienced in musical theater, so they can't pick out the many songs from which this show borrows so heavily. The goods: 1) great voices on the soundtrack, even if one of them sounds 200% like a young, less-polished, Kristin Chenoweth, inclusive of one of her big operatic swells 2) beautiful piano score through out, 3) not a bad plot - characters you are interested in seeing where their story goes, and 4) a bounty of fantastic audition songs for contemporary musical theater. Why? Because normally if you are auditioning for, say, the far superior "Last 5 Years" you can't sing "I can do better than that", however, now you CAN sing "Don't wanna be here." Same subject (spunky gal wants out of her small town), incredibly similar song structure, shockingly similar melody. And that's just the start. The show borrows and borrows and borrows - so many riffs, melodies and yes, even lyrics are lifted directly out of other shows. Do others do this? Yes, absolutely, and sometimes it works and comes out like the homage it's meant to be, but not so much in "Ordinary Days" - it really piles up in this show. A particularly "Really?!" type example and one of the worst offenses comes when two of the characters throw a bunch of colored paper off the roof of a building and the characters sing the colors of the falling papers in a not so little moment copied from "Joseph's" "red and yellow and blue and orange and violet and pink and purple and mauve..." There are lifts from so many, again, far superior composers - it would make a good drinking game - drink every time you hear something from another show. BUT, and this is sincere, if you are a working actor and ever need to diversify your audition materials, you will find songs aspiring to the music of Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, William Finn, Maltby and Shire, and m o r e in this material.

I loved this! I picked it up on a whim the other day, and I can't stop listening to it. Smart, witty, clever and so fun!. Wish I knew where I could go see the show.

Adam Gwon writes great music and great musicals. His lyrics are whimsical and profound all at the same time, and the music is delightful and memorable. Also, if you ever have a chance to see the show, take it.

I love this! I'd heard the closing number before, 'I'll Be Here', a moving story within the story. I was so impressed that I figured I'd give the CD a listen. What a fantastic surprise! Never a dull moment; a witty and sensitive look at letting go. I didn't find anything innovative here, but that's what makes this show so incredible. The genius lies in how the composer, Adam Gwon, uses everything idiomatic to musical theater in such a way that it all seems fresh again. 'Ordinary Days' is extraordinary in the way its love songs, lost in New York numbers, and patter songs are so expertly treated. This small, intimate musical is equal in effect to any big blockbuster show. It's a simple show, and it's simply perfect! The performances are perfect and not to be missed. I'm ranking this right up there with my favorite musicals: Sweeney Todd, The Light In The Piazza, and South Pacific. There's a production in Atlanta this summer, and I'll be making the trip. Can't wait to hear more from Mr. Gwon; bravo!

This is a wonderful recording. I am so glad that more of these independent musical theatre writers are recording their shows and selling them to the masses. It is definitely a recording that tells nearly the entire story just by listening to it. I have never read a synopsis or seen any video of this show and I still think I understand everything. "Ordinary Days" has songs for everyone, and many that you can relate to. It will make you laugh ("Saturday at the Met"), cry ("I'll Be Here", and feel inspired ("Gotta Get Out"). The contemporary music in this piano-only score is a must have for any theatre fan!