"The Extraordinary Ordinary" Opens at the Clurman

"The Extraordinary Ordinary," a new musical by Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel, opened on Dec. 1st at the Clurman Theatre on Theatre Row. The show follows a group of six close friends (Karen, Kate, Sam, Joey, Bev, and Zach) as they navigate the ups and downs of life in New York. I was recently able to chat for a bit with Scott Burkell (book and lyrics), Pamela Bob (Kate), and Patrick Oliver Jones (Zach) about the show. The best part of the process for Burkell was watching the actors, "infuse the characters with life," he says, "I love watching actors work." And apparently he has written some very "infusible" characters. Jones and Bob both see plenty of themselves in their characters. "Kate loves unconditionally and exudes positivity," Bob says, but adds that playing Kate also brings out flaws that she sees in herself. "It's rather interesting," Jones agrees, "that a lot of Zach's story is my own, even down to the whistling and it annoying some people." The show is brought home though, by the kinship and admiration of the cast for each other, and the whole production team. "Scott and Paul are wonderful people who deserve so much and I wish them continued and greater success with EXTRAORDINARY and any other show they produce in the future," says Jones, "Also, the cast of people are beautiful in each of their roles and we are truly a family/team up there, supporting and loving one another each night through rehearsals on into the run on the show," Bob sums it up, "These are some of the finest people I've ever worked with." Now, when all of you go and see the show, what exactly are you supposed to walk away with? For Burkell, the show is about "being conscious of finding your ordinary life extraordinary." He describes friends in his life so focused on big goals, that they almost don't seem present in day to day life. "The message is tough, and not entirely original, but it's important." When the question was posed to Jones, he was ready to philosophize. "So many times we gloss over what someone says or an event in our life or community and just focus on ourselves. That's when we miss out on the beauty of sharing life and relating to others." He continues, "There's God, friends, family, community, country, work, etc. that can help us through rough patches and celebrate with us in times of blessing. To ignore them is to miss out on life's true joy." And for all that, "The story is…ordinary. It's entirely relatable," says Bob, "I think [the audience] will have an enjoyable evening at the theatre." "The Extraordinary Ordinary" is set to run through December 18th. And after that, who knows? Loesel in our past interview, mentioned a possible transfer to Off-Broadway, which is still possible if not probable, but Burkell dreams bigger. "There's been a trend of smaller shows, like Next to Normal (the Tony Award winning rock musical, playing at the Booth theatre until January), moving to Broadway, so who knows?" For now, though, the cast and crew are ensconced at the Clurman, and happily so. For tickets to this uplifting show, visit its website: http://www.dreamlighttheatre.org/ExOrd/ Also check out Burkell and Loesel's website: http://www.scottandpaul.com/ Bob's website: www.pamelabob.com And Jones' website: http://www.patrickoliverjones.com/ Annnd Till Latah, Jess