My review of Come from Away. This was my first Broadway Musical and I didn’t know what to expect. I was at the evening show as part of my birthday celebration (also the day we launched Bowled). I tried for so many days to get tickets for the evening show and got them just the day before! Asa!!!!!!!
Lucy, my author friend who came all the way from DC watched this show and gave me the brief. Based on the true events of all the 70+ planes that were diverted to Gander on 9/11, the play covers what happened when a small Canadian town of 7000 has twice as many people landing in their town and how they handled it.
Come From Away
I have to say, I was impressed with the play is written. Take the title for instance, it signifies all those thousands of passengers who came from “away.” The husband-wife duo who wrote this play have used every phrase, every word with smart alacrity that no moment is wasted as the show barrels on.
For starters, who says you don’t dress up for Broadway. I guess since it’s the evening show, almost everyone was dressed up. The Gerald Schoenfeld theater at 45th St. is quite grand and depending on where you’re sitting, can make or break this show for you. Despite the rainy day, there was quite a crowd to watch this. And many had already seen it a few times.
Back to the show, the musical begins with a high octane performance introducing the characters of Gander, a small Canadian village in Newfoundland where nothing much happens. The wit and humor are apparent from the get-go. The scene cuts to the same people playing scared passengers on a place all afraid of where they’re being diverted and why.
Writing Research
The writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein spent hundreds of hours interviewing locals in Newfoundland. They also spoke to the passengers who were stranded during that fateful week as the American airspace was closed. They distilled down all that information into 100 minutes of this play. The cast of twelve represent 16,000 people. Talk about filtering and condensing that down to this wonderful performance. That is some writing talent!
And what smart writers they are. The research is so well presented that every nuance of the play is well thought and there for a purpose. From the fact that why planes need to be in the air, the sinking of the tarmac, planning for babies, menstruating women, pets, transportation, cardiologists cleaning the restrooms, the order with which planes go out, flight response, radar control, it’s all there if you pay close attention to details.
Moreover, the characters chosen for representation are all poignant. From the mother who’s waiting to reach her firefighter son in NY, the Egyptian masterchef who undergoes the worst body search of his life due to paranoia, to the first female American Airline flight Captain of 1986 who was flying Paris to Dallas that day, to the couple who fell in love, each of the passengers represent a theme, a problem or a larger issue that is deftly portrayed without offending anyone.
Cast
I have to say, the cast is so in-sync; voice, range, tempo and with their energy. Hardly anyone missed the beat. Christopher Ashley does a good job directing them. Even Pearl Sun who was substituting as the mother of the firefighter was amazing. Jenn Colella as the Captain is superb and so is the Mayor who I think is Joel Hatch. The entire cast is stellar.
There were so many moments that I was laughing so loud and so long I had to catch myself. There were tearjerker moments too. When the mother calls Gander on her return to NY and informs them of her firefighter son’s death, everyone in my row and in front of me, including the men were crying. Since this was all true, it just makes it even more moving.
Music
As I like orchestra music, I enjoyed the music too. It has a distinct Irish flavor to it and I liked that even more. The ensemble shows up on stage for the Newoundland initiation and at the end of the show to do a complete reel that is fantastic. The music compliments the show and even the counting of the planes in song, is just so well done.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this show. In fact, I wouldn’t mind watching it again. It’s a show that restores your faith in humanity. There’s a moment in the play where, the Newfoundlanders all stand in silence in solidarity with George Bush’s moment of silence and an American passenger comments that this wouldn’t happen on the strip.
And so maybe it restores your faith in the Canadians, but it shows you how people can do insurmountable things to help others if motivated to do so. Too bad it takes death to motivate us to do anything. I only put out stuff I love and truly enjoy, so when I tell you to go and watch Come from Away, I really mean it. The show needs no endorsement from ordinary ole me. When I attended the show, it was a full house.
Come from Away is a must-watch
Watch it for the message, for the cast, for the music, for the amazing writing that I can’t stop gushing over. But most of all watch it so you have hope. It shows you something positive can come from such a dark time. It’s a truly inspiring musical that should be more popular. Get your tickets here.