Review: A Life-Affirming COME FROM AWAY at North Shore Music Theatre

September 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in which Al-Qaeda highjacked four commercial airplanes in coordinated suicide attacks on the United States that killed close to 3,000 people. Many real-life stories of heroism and loss have been told since then, including in the life-affirming Canadian musical “Come From Away,” being presented in a warm and winning production at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre through September 27.

The 2017 Tony Award-winning musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, which ran for 1,669 performances at Broadway’s Gerard Schoenfeld Theatre, details what happened when American airspace was closed and 38 planes were ordered to land at Gander International Airport as part of Canada’s Operation Yellow Ribbon, which handled the diversion of 226 civilian airline flights – a reminder of a better time in U.S.-Canada relations.

The opening song, “Welcome to the Rock” – led by the terrific David Benoit as Claude, the Mayor – lets the audience know where Newfoundland is and details what the Gander residents, mostly of Canadian-Irish background and quite locally oriented, with everyone knowing everyone else, were doing just prior to the events of 9/11. Anyone who has seen a proscenium production of this show knows the powerful impact that number has when the full company performs it straight out. Its impact is lessened slightly by the theater-in-the-round configuration which has the actors segmented, singing to different sides of the house.

Close to 7,000 travelers – or “come from aways,” as Newfoundlanders call visitors – were stranded in Gander, all but outnumbering the residents, who warmly welcomed, housed, and fed them for five days, until they could continue their journeys.

The backdrop of 9/11 is always present, but songs like “Blankets and Bedding” keep this musical true to its focus on the compassionate citizens of Gander, who housed the equivalent of the entire town’s population on a moment’s notice. Sankoff and Hein’s book raises the story of what happens when strangers unexpectedly arrive in a foreign land displaced and seemingly out of options from a folk tale to a commanding musical fueled by hope and humanity.

The clever direction and choreography of Kevin P. Hill, NSMT’s producing artistic director, quickly mitigates the impact of these necessary modifications and the blending of the several stories the show tells begins to unfold in the hands of a versatile 12-person cast, each of whom nimbly plays more than one role.

Stand-outs include Benoit, who brings authenticity to the role of the small-town mayor whose constituents must rise from their seats at Tim Horton Donuts to meet the occasion of an international tragedy, and Laurel Harris as Beverley Bass, only the third female pilot hired by American Airlines who became, in 1986, the airline’s first female captain, and then captain of its first all-female crew. In the soaring “Me and the Sky,” Harris’ two-feet-firmly-on-the-ground Bass – who was piloting a Boeing 777 from Paris to Dallas/Fort Worth before deplaning in Gander with her flight crew and 156 passengers – describes her lifelong love of flying and her career as a pilot.

Also oustanding is local favorite Mary Callanan (Broadway: “Bandstand,” “Annie,” and “Mamma Mia!” NSMT: “Titanic,” “Fiddler on the Roof”), using a convincing Newfoundland accent as stalwart Beulah and others, including an over-served Celine Dion-loving passenger. Callanan is touching in her quiet scenes with Carla Woods as Hannah, a mother anxious to learn her son’s fate at Ground Zero. Woods’s glorious voice is stunning on the heart-wrenching solo “I Am Here.”

Rounding out the impressive ensemble of the single-act, 100-minute musical are Susan Oliveras as Diane and Matthew Bryan-Feld as Nick, who wonderfully pair on “Stop the World” as two lonely people united by fear and uncertainty. Danny Burgos and Nick Lehan provide humor as the two Kevins, a not perfectly matched couple. Kyle Nicholas Anderson as Oz, NSMT regular Alaina Mills as Janice, Brandon Alvion as Bob, and Victoria Huston-Elem as Bonnie are also strong.

An excellent seven-member pit band, led by music director Dr. Michael McBride, sets the tone affectingly throughout, while scenic and lighting designer Jack Mehler and Costume Designer Rebecca Glick keeps things simple but effective. Ryan Marsh’s sound design further complements the proceedings.

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