Review: Come from Away

by Daniel Hill

On the 11th September 2001 the world changed forever. Come From Away tells the true story of what happened that day, from the perspective of the residents of Gander, Newfoundland. 38 planes landed with almost 7000 people being left stranded on the island off the coast of Canada. The show is written (Book, Lyrics and Music.) by David Hein and Irene Sankoff and it is directed by Christopher Ashley.

The musical portrays the reaction of the population of Gander and the 6579 passengers when they land in Newfoundland. We see the passengers unaware of what happened in New York and the camaraderie of the inhabitants who unite in order to provide the visitors a home for what turned out to be for five days. The friendliness of Newfoundland’s population is depicted clearly in the musical as we see the sheer sadness as people get to leave the island. The musical also shows the friendships created in this time of both community and devastation felt around the world. As the musical says “Tonight we honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found.” This quote encapsulates what happened over the five days and then the ten-year anniversary of 9/11.

The staging of the show was particularly gripping. The use of the chairs in order to create the setting often seemed simplistic yet struck the audience as very effective. With the direction/musical staging the musical seemed quite intimate and moving throughout with the unity coming across clearly to the audience. Moments which incorporated the lighting also provided another element to the piece. The integration of the band within the piece through some of the number further established the sense of community that the play communicated.

The 12-man cast was extremely strong with the power of voices often making it appear that there were more than 12 people on stage. It would be wrong not to mention Jenn Colella individually as she stole the show. In the role of Beverly Bass, the song “Me and the Sky.” was both beautiful and powerful. The song tells the story of Beverly Bass’s journey as a pilot up until the 9th of September 2001 and she delivers it with conviction and excitement as well as sorrow. In her other role, she is also good, although it is mainly her solo that allows her to steal the show. The rest of the cast were also good and I thought that Joel Hatch also deserved a mention in the role of the mayor as he guides the audience through the true story.

I had never seen a show that received a standing ovation as soon as the blackout came until Come From Away. Whether this was due to story, music, the fact it was true, the connection with New York, the talent on display or a combination of all of this I think it was definitely deserved. With this musical transferring to the West End in 2019 I would highly recommend this for anyone.