AN ENTIRELY ORDINARY TOWN Gets a Special Presentation in New York City: Q & A with the Creative Team

This month, an exciting new musical, An Entirely Ordinary Town, created by Alex Giles, David Russell, and Andy Peterson, will get a special presentation in New York.

Described as a comedic yet touching love story that’s anything but ordinary. An Entirely Ordinary Town follows Jay and Ava as they discover the concept of love and dive headfirst through a portal to another world to live out their dream. The creative team took a moment during rehearsals to discuss the project with Medium.com

Q: Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind “An Entirely Ordinary Town” and how the concept for the musical evolved?

A: The show is both an examination of the importance of human connection in a world that has become more artificial and disconnected, as well as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor about how social media and the pandemic has impacted our society and the ways in which we share love… both for better and for worse. The musical has undergone several versions, but the current story is one that we are proud of.

Q: The synopsis mentions a portal to another world and the concept of love. How do these elements play a central role in the story, and what message or theme do you hope to convey through them?

A: The show is set between two worlds. One world rejects any sort of deep human connection. People cannot touch each other, and the concept of love is foreign. The other, the ‘real’ world, permits any and all connection without regulation. The consequences of both worlds are examined as our protagonists grapple to understand the importance of love and the power of connection.

Q: Could you describe the characters of Jay and Ava in more detail? What makes them compelling protagonists, and what challenges do they face throughout the musical?

A: They quest to explain the extraordinary: Love. They each are filled with complicated emotions toward one another and live in a world where there is no explanation of what this means. Once they begin their journey and find a place where their love is accepted, they are faced with the reality that love is not always what it’s cracked up to be.

The more interesting answer is that Jay is naive, clumsy, and his grandiose expectations of the world make him both fascinating and funny to watch, but also may cause his downfall.

Ava, on the other hand, is adaptable and holds her ambitions in high esteem, which places her as an outsider in a world where nobody ever leaves the town.

Q: How would you describe the musical style and tone of “An Entirely Ordinary Town,” and how does the music by Andy Peterson complement the story and lyrics?

A: When creating the musical landscape for the show, we wanted to score to capture the sense that this town is beyond our ordinary reality but also feel familiar. I really enjoyed creating songs that highlighted the comedy of the show as well as tugging at the heartstrings and making you fall in love with all of these adorable characters. I take a lot of inspiration from the way music works in film to transport you to another world, and so, because this is a completely original show where the audience has no reference point for what this show is about, the songs of our show have to do a lot of heavy lifting to make the world building easily digestible whilst also relatable and what better way to do that than with some catchy melodies?

Q: The title suggests a stark contrast between the ordinary and the extraordinary. How does the setting and world-building contribute to this juxtaposition, and how does it impact the characters and their development?

A: The world-building and exposition in writing this story has been one of the most consistently difficult things, as we’re told it usually is! So we decided to take the most efficient, cheapest way out — explain the rules in the title: You explode if you touch, and nobody falls in love.

Our ‘ordinary’ is a town where love has intentionally been removed, and so our ‘real world’ where love conquers all is what our characters envision as the extraordinary…except as we all know, love may conquer all, but also has the ability to leave a trail of havoc in its wake.

Q: In a world where the concept of love is explored, can you share some of the key themes and ideas related to love that the musical explores?

A: We always wanted to bring into reality the statement — Tis better to have loved and lost, and ask….but, is it? Ultimately, our show argues that one should always choose to love but that it’s never that simple. Love is a journey, it’s about sacrifice, and it can exist in so many forms — you couldn’t stop it if you tried.

We are also fascinated by how connection has changed in our lives through devices, pandemics, and dozens of other constantly changing elements of our world. The analogy of our small town speaks to this through the comedic lens but reflects society’s current struggle with finding fulfilling connections in a modern age.

Q: The duality of worlds and the consequences of Jay and Ava’s actions in the other world seem to be pivotal to the plot. Could you delve into how this duality is portrayed and what it means for the characters? How special is falling in love? And the concept of ‘the one’?

A: Jay and Ava’s story begins exaggerated, silly, and romantic. But the reality, particularly when they reach the ‘real world’ is complicated. We wanted to tell a ‘truthful’ love story allegory. One that celebrates and suffers. It sets us up for the romantic love story but then becomes a much more gripping (and potentially tragic) reflection of what it is to build a relationship.

Q: With two different creative minds involved in the book and lyrics (Alex Giles and David Russell), how did the collaborative process work, and what unique perspectives did each bring to the project?

A: Dave and Alex worked to shape the world-building, the characters as well as the dialogue. Both are collaborative in their workflows and enjoyed the chance to sit and discuss/thrash out ideas about the world, lyrics, and dialogue. This would often happen over a coffee in a Sydney café or via a Zoom call. With deadlines abounding, some of this has had to happen in short spaces of time and through intense debate. Usually, finished lyrics would be then sent to Andy to be set to music — culminating in a zoom debrief once everything was complete. Ultimately, we are at a point where both Alex and Dave feel a strong connection to the world and the characters they have created and both trust the other to write lyrics and dialogue that fully reflect the world.

One of our favourite stories is the formation of arguably one of our best showstopping numbers, being requested at 5pm at the end of a rehearsal day, written that night, sent to Andy, and sheet music ready for a sing through at 9am the next day! Thus, The Moth and the Flame was born!

Q: Can you share any specific scenes, songs, or moments from the musical that you are particularly excited about or proud of?

A: The two most satisfying feelings are polar opposite in nature. It is incredible to hear a room full of audience erupt into laughter and equally satisfying to witness the short, sharp breath everyone takes when we hit the dramatic climax of the show — and the penny drops. (Or explodes…)

The opening to act 2 is always a thrill, when Jay and Ava arrive in the ‘real world’ and are finally allowed to show their naive sense of love, and are instantly introduced simultaneously to dozens of other, grittier, more casual versions of love. It’s always a delight to completely invert the audience’s expectations, and watch them enjoy the juxtaposition of fictional love against what we know it can look like.

Also, the fact that this is a completely original musical that isn’t based on a movie, book, a historical moment, or a pop star’s life is something we are very proud of. Completely original stories are few and far between in the musical theater canon. Still, they are often some of the most interesting and challenging shows, so we hope to add a little more originality to the musical theatre landscape.

Q: Musicals often have a visual and choreographic aspect. How do you envision the staging, choreography, and overall visual aesthetics enhancing the storytelling in “An Entirely Ordinary Town”?

A: We have always seen the style of the show as a ‘dark utopia’ — think Urinetown, Pleasantville or perhaps the more light-hearted side of Sweeney Todd. The world of the show, especially in the “Town” is superficially untroubled and careless, however, underneath a darker underbelly of control and confinement permeate the aesthetic. There is a yearning for more, yet no idea of what that would look like. Hence, most of the characters remain in ignorance.

Q: What do you hope audiences will take away from their experience watching “An Entirely Ordinary Town”? Are there any emotions or thoughts you want to evoke in them?

A: We hope we can make our audience laugh! But at the same time, we hope this show can provoke some deep thoughts about the world we live in and, despite the blessings to humanity that technology can provide — perhaps some consideration about what it takes away as well. Ultimately, we want to give a sense that through connection, we can all experience and maintain a deep sense of love.

The musical has a book and lyrics by Alex Giles, original concept, book and lyrics by David Russell with music by Andy Peterson, and directed by Will Nunziata with music direction by Emily Whitaker, for more information, visit AnEntirelyOrdinaryTown.com.

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ALEX GILES (Book/Lyrics) Alex’s enthusiasm for writing original musicals has seen them presented at Fringe Festivals in Edinburgh, Chicago, New York City, Adelaide and Newcastle, where multiple reviews have commended his imaginative and comedic storytelling. His works in development include a lawn bowls, hip-hop musical, and an Aussie Spy musical based on a ridiculously true story. Alex’s short films and web series have screened internationally at film festivals in Germany, England, multiple states in the USA, and Australia, along with accolades such as the merit award at Indie-Fest. He is currently working in the script department of the iconic Aussie TV Drama ‘Home & Away’.

DAVID RUSSELL (Original Concept/Book/Lyrics) Dave is a Sydney-based writer and musician, specialising in contemporary performance and musical theatre. He has worked on the Sydney professional seasons of Cruel Intentions, Big Fish, Dogfight, Atomic, The Last 5 Years among others. His production company, RPG Productions, has produced independent and professional musical theatre in Sydney since 2015. Dave also works as a professional educator and musician throughout Sydney.

ANDY PETERSON (Music) is an award-winning international composer, musical director, orchestrator, and pianist originally hailing from Australia. Broadway: Tootsie (Associate Musical Director/Conductor), A Beautiful Noise (Keyboard sub/rehearsal pianist), Dancin’ (keyboard sub), My One And Only (Rehearsal Pianist), Off Broadway: The Grateful Dead’s musical Red Roses, Green Gold MD/Arranger/ Orchestrations), ATOMIC (MD/Arranger/ Orchestrations). Composer: The World To Come (Audio series — Webby Honoree), Razorhurst (New Jersey, Sydney), Stalker: The Musical (New York, Chicago, Sydney). Install Musical Director for new shows at Universal Studios Beijing (2021) and Celebrity Beyond (2022) AndyPetersonComposer.com