Miles away from the devastation and destruction of 9/11, Come From Away offers a compelling fresh perspective on the events from the community in the small Canadian town of Gander who rally round to take in the people and planes diverted in the chaos caused by 9/11.
It’s a surprisingly small cast to convey such large numbers but their versatility is astounding, each actor playing multiple characters; slipping between costumes and accents with ease and carefully weaving the stories of the locals striving to make their unanticipated guests welcome alongside the stranded travellers anxieties and individual experiences.
Canadian husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff (who co-wrote the book, music and lyrics) approach all of these narratives while avoiding sickly sentimentality and manage to encapsulate so much of the emotional turmoil of the time. We’re both heartwarmed by the couple who find love in the most unexpected situation, and heartbroken to see the emerging islamophobia.
The sing-through format works perfectly to keep the emotional intensity rising without the release of an interval and the music itself is infectious with celtic style stomping rhythms engaging the audience immediately.
The cast harmonises perfectly to capture the sense of community and cohesion that went into housing these diverted strays, their voices blending seamlessly in a true team effort.
Beowulf Boritt’s set is simple, with lighting primarily used to transform the space – people are centre stage in this production. Props are minimal, largely a collection of mismatched chairs used to convey every location from cafes, to classrooms, and of course planes in slickly choreographed transitions.
By the end of the remarkably short run time this town you’ve likely never heard of before will have a slither of your heart and your hands will be aching from clapping so hard. It’s no surprise that such a touching reminder of humanities capability to care for eachother has enjoyed so much success since it arrived in the West End in 2019.
Come From Away is showing at The Phoenix Theatre in London. Find tickets here: https://comefromawaylondon.co.uk/
*****
Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre, London
Katie Reviews 