Based on the incredible true story that took place post 9/11 attacks, Come From Away is a strong contender as one of the best new productions to come out of Broadway in recent years. Written by Tony and Grammy nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the musical takes place in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. Following the shut down of the American airspace in the week of 9/11, the small Canadian town’s airport was flooded with 6,700 passengers from 38 different planes. What transpires is a heartwarming tale of compassion, companionship, and unconditional camaraderie.
Returning to Melbourne for another season, we were once again transported back to Gander, and found solace in the goodwill and kindness of the town and the townspeople. The performance features the right amount of humour whilst taking on a combination of serious issues including racism, loss, grief and more. Come From Away’s underlying theme was always present, despite it being rarely referenced directly. The audience is there to experience the characters’ pain secondhand; feeling their sense of loss, confusion, anger, frustration as well as their need to understand, to comprehend, and to find meaning. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll experience the perfect balance of dealing with heavy themes in the most lighthearted and hopeful way.
The musical, with Tony award winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley, and musical staging Tony nominee Kelly Devine, is well crafted with songs that are funny, intelligent and catchy. The audience gets an insight into the lives of the hosts (Welcome to the Rock), the experience of the passengers (28 Hours/Wherever We Are), as well as a series of songs and stories throughout the musical that juxtapose the individual’s experiences with the collectives. As the musical takes place in the series of days following the attacks, we see the passengers and townsfolk of Gander dealing with their own issues in different ways. We see the generosity of the Gander residents, intertwined with the gut-wrenching sadness shared amongst all of the people gathered around the various locations. Each individual character (and there’s quite a few!) has their own story and their own experiences; and the audience gets the chance to be invested in every single moment.
The cast does an incredible job of re-imagining the stories; jumping in and out of different personas as they each take on multiple roles. They take the audience back to a time where not only the passengers, but the world, were learning how to process their feelings and emotions surrounding the events of 9/11. Recounting each journey and experience that took place in Newfoundland and the surrounding areas, each member of the crew manages to convincingly convey the complex issues the key characters faced during the five days that followed. Based on true stories provided to the show’s creators during the event’s tenth anniversary, each audience member leaves with a different story having made the biggest impact during the 100-minute spectacular.
The show’s minimalist set design encourages a focus on the people and their stories – adapting the space as needed to provide the cast with the bare minimum. All the focus is on each character’s stories, as the audience hangs off every word. Keeping in the theme with the show’s setting is the musical score – a Celtic influenced, sometimes folksy, sometimes haunting, backing track of violin and acoustic guitar. The songs themselves are hard hitting and powerful; the lyrics soul-crushing, yet optimistic.
As an extra special treat, we were treated to an exclusive post-show Q&A with Janice Goodie and Bonnie Harris, two of the Newfoundlanders that characters were based on. Hosted by Mann About Town’s David Mann, the feel good spectacular continued as we learned more about their real life experiences.
Come From Away is an insightful and feel-good journey into the lives of total strangers, stranded together on a small-town island while the world begins to change. The musical highlights the importance of hope and togetherness, and reminds us of what’s important. What just may be the future of musical theatre, Come From Away is a production not to be missed. You’ll laugh, and you might even cry, but you’ll definitely love what it has to offer.
The show in Melbourne is on at the Comedy Theatre and is running until October 16.
Grab your tickets here. Visit the Come From Away website if you’d like to learn more about the true story.