BWW Previews: ORDINARY DAYS Composer to Appear at Utah Rep's Opening of Regional Premiere

To celebrate its regional premiere of the Off-Broadway hit "Ordinary Days," Utah Repertory Theater Company has invited the show's acclaimed composer Adam Gwon to the opening night performance, July 10, 2015.

"I love watching people interpret the show in unexpected ways," Gwon said. "It's amazing that something I know so well and have seen so many times can still surprise me - but that's the beauty of live theater. It's never the same twice."

Before he production of "Ordinary Days" Gwon is able to see, he asks himself ahead of time: "Will the production design be literal or abstract? Will Warren be short or tall? I love the not knowing!"

The breakout song from "Ordinary Days" has proven to be "I'll Be Here," which five-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald frequently performs in concert and is a highlight of her most recent CD, "Go Back Home."

Following a Dorothy Chandler Pavilion performance, the Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote of McDonald's performance: "Let me assure you that there was hardly a dry eye in the house when she sang "I'll Be Here," the 9/11 song by the young composer Adam Gwon."

"Audra's performances of 'I'll Be Here' have been enormously important both to me personally and to the life of 'Ordinary Days,'" Gwon said. "An Audra McDonald recording is on every young composer's bucket list, and mine especially: Her first album was one of the major catalysts for my wanting to be a musical theater writer in the first place. And through her recording and her concert tours around the world, she's introduced 'Ordinary Days' to a whole audience of people who might not have discovered it otherwise. It's really been a huge shot in the arm to this little Off-Broadway show, which never had the visibility that comes with being on Broadway."

In "I'll Be Here," a woman tells the story of her past relationship to her current boyfriend, and the song includes a recount of what happened to them on Sept. 11, 2001.

In an NPR interview, McDonald said the song means something different to her: "'I'll Be Here' has more to do for me, in my personal life, with watching kind of what my stepmom has had to go through in getting her life back after losing my dad six years ago so tragically, so quickly, so suddenly. And watching her try and let go, so that she can move on."

To watch a YouTube video of McDonald explaining why "I'll Be Here" was selected for the CD, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUryp9TARg.

Utah Rep's opening-night plans include a Q&A session and a reception with Gwon, followed by a master class Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m.

"As you might be able to tell from listening to my work, I love writing for actors, and I love writing music that takes actors on a real journey," Gwon said. "At the master class, I'll guide performers through the best journey they can take in their songs, pointing out all the secret signposts us writers put into them to illuminate character and story along the way."

Gwon's invitation to join Utah Rep's opening night performance follows the Nov. 7, 2014, appearance of the Tony-nominated writer Hunter Bell at the company's premiere of "[title of show]." Bell also conducted a master class with Utah Rep theatergoers and company members.

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