Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...More of a theatrical song cycle than a full-fledged musical, “Ordinary Days” follows the unsettled relationships and careers of four 20-somethings with quite different personalities and circumstances. And over the course of 19 songs — far more noteworthy for their clever lyrics than their rather tedious melodies — they learn something about themselves and their hopes for the future."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Though the two putative couples never quite meet, their parallel adventures are supposed to put us in touch with the beauty of the everyday. In fact, they don't. With the possible exception of Jason (warmly sung in this BoHo Theatre production by Demetrius Spidle), the characters come off as banal, repellent, and-inasmuch as art-loving Warren is allowed to mistake Monet for a pointillist-strangely ignorant. Gwon may have sensed the difficulty: he ends up dragging the most extraordinary event of the 21st century into the mix, in an apparent bid to give Ordinary Days the heft it lacks."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Adam Gwon’s musical Ordinary Days, now in an outstanding production at Boho Theatre in Rogers Park, is a refreshing look at love and the millennials in New York City, a place of broken dreams and transitory relationships. People meet, fall in love and fall apart in the course of 90 minutes in the highly intimate space of the Heartland Café. Gwon , one of the most exciting new composers to come along has the potential to take a place next to Sondheim if he continues to turn out music like he has in Ordinary Days. His music has the complexity of Sondheim and the clever lyrics of Cole Porter. Ordinary Days is more of a musical landscape presented in vignettes and songs with little spoken dialogue which provides a realism and draws us into a very believable world."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...Since, I loathe this talk-singing contemporary style of chamber musical, let me state that their is an audience for this show. If you are open to this modern unconventional style, you may find enough charm, wit, and empathy to make this 80 minute show entertaining. At the performance I attended, the 20/30somethings vigorously applauded while the older crowd seemed annoyed."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Like a fine wine, BoHo Theatre Company gets better with time. Every production they offer explores new ground, introduces Chicago audiences to exciting, new performers and presents plays and musicals, filled with “innovative storytelling…examining Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love through the lens of human relationships.” This new, chamber musical, so expertly acted, sung and produced, is a perfect reflection of this company’s growing excellence."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...One thing I couldn't help but reflect on throughout "Ordinary Days", and why I was so fascinated by it, is that there's ambitiously sincere heart pulsating deep within this show. It's something that is very rare to find in new musicals. This show was so absorbing that 80 minutes felt more like 30 minutes. Another sign that its worth seeing, when the show was over the audience sat there in stunned silent contemplation for a brief moment before applauding. I wish all musicals were as well executed and beautiful as this one was. This wonderful show deserves a longer run than four weeks, but at the very least it most definitely deserves a full house. Go see it!"
