Theater Review | Jeff Kelley’s ‘Origins of Ordinary’ is extraordinary at EXIT
By Beti Webb Trauth PUBLISHED: April 18, 2024 at 3:34 a.m. | UPDATED: April 18, 2024 at 3:36 a.m.
Versatile musician, songwriter, storyteller and all-round delightfully eccentric Jeff Kelley is definitely one of a kind — even though his multifaceted ego is tongue in cheek known as Captain Ordinary.
Therefore, when he created a one-man show intriguingly titled “Origins of Ordinary” (to explain how his “ordinary” Captain came about), it wasn’t surprising that lots of long-time fans and friends joined him during his three performances at EXIT Theatre this past weekend.
“Origins of Ordinary” began after (sight unseen behind closed black curtains at the back of the stage), he introduced himself one hand at a time. (Hands that soon came to life on their own and “talked to each other.”
After their nonsensical conversation, “the rest of him” came out from behind the curtains, barefoot and clothed in a white body suit. (You expected to hear the space ship that must have dropped him off, blasting off at any minute.) But, no.
Instead the audience was about to find out why those electric guitars and that mic were sitting center stage. And, where Kelley’s seamless, stream of consciousness sounding dialogue and songs were accompanied by his polished, professional playing of those instruments (all the while transfixing everyone with blazing blue eyes that glittered in the spotlight). Not to mention twisting and dancing to the beat whenever the spirit moved him.
It was also where his down home, earthy vocals (with a sly smile) and ribald lyrics (and asides) managed to be both outrageously funny and insightfully philosophical. All revolving around how everything about him was so “ordinary.” However, he sometimes “strayed” to other areas of the stage where other “fragments” of his mind’s interior persona came to life in either vivid green or red spotlights that emphasized his “less admirable” traits, such as intense anger or unashamed sexual desires. Or, on the other hand, having a mind at rest, “just chillin’ and takin’ it easy.”
Of course, he constantly pointed out to the audience — throughout the show’s ongoing, shared conversations — that all of his character traits (no matter how extreme they might seem) exist inside everyone. And that’s what makes them “ordinary” for him, as well as for the rest of us.
However, Kelley has decided that he will be “in charge” of his unruly “ordinaries.” Instead of just being a passenger on the turbulent ship of life, he has taken over command of them all.
He’s “Captain Ordinary!”
In addition to his onstage shenanigans, Kelley also designed the show’s scenic elements and props, lighting and pre-recorded rude comments (in response to what he was doing or saying onstage). And credit also goes to his fiancee, Christina Peterson, for skillfully handling the tricky light and sound cues and levels it constantly required.
By the way, if you didn’t make it to Kelley’s “Origins of Ordinary” this time around, you can still catch some of his best eclectic, original songs (and guitar licks) on a CD titled “Never Been Done” (that you can listen to and/or buy online).
Right after the show ended on opening night —during a question and answer session with the audience — he did a special request performance of the title song from that CD.
And here are the ironically clever lyrics that title comes from: “I’m gonna do what’s never been done, I’m gonna get along with you.”
I’m sure he could, because he makes being ordinary so much fun and downright “extraordinary.” And, during his show, he made sure to remind us (with that wicked grin), that all of us “ordinaries” are just characters on “God’s TV” So, don’t worry about trying to change the channel. Just enjoy how “extraordinarily ordinary” you are.
Captain Ordinary certainly does!