In 2017, Come From Away quickly took Broadway and theatre lovers by storm. After its Broadway run and two successful national tours, the rights have finally become available, and it’s unsurprising that Derby Dinner Playhouse would be the venue to take on its return to the Louisville/Southern Indiana area. With true and vast “in the round” staging, this new production has a lot to offer this brilliant musical.
The musical focuses on Gander, Newfoundland. It takes place on and after 9/11 when the town’s population doubled overnight as plane passengers from around the world were diverted and grounded in the small island community. The show follows the Newfoundlanders and the passengers as they find love and community amongst the horrible tragedies that had occurred.
The show is the definition of an ensemble piece, so it’s hard to give everyone their flowers, but I’d like to shout out some that were highlights for me. Elizabeth Loos as Bonnie is exceptionally well-cast and does a wonderful job endearing us to Bonnie (an animal lover) and finds many laughs along the way. Katie Blackerby as Beulah was an absolute treat to watch as well. Her comedic timing was phenomenal, but even more impressive were the genuine moments of pathos and emotion she found in her scenes, especially opposite Christina Booker’s heartfelt Hannah. Neill Robertson also does a wonderful job, specifically as Kevin T.; he acts in many ways as one of the integral hearts of the show.
I also really appreciated what the director was trying to do with the staging. It’s quite the feat that director Tina Jo Wallace tried to take on, but I don’t know if it’s always as successful as I would’ve hoped. A lot of the staging worked well, while at other times the stage came across as cluttered and off-kilter rather than intentionally and statically placed.
Overall, if you have never had the chance to experience Come From Away, this is a fine production as an intro to the amazing material. The vocals are uniformly great, and on the whole the performances serve the story well. However, past productions of the show I’ve seen have a special sauce that I can’t put my finger on. That is sadly missing from this production. As the cast settles in and this production continues to solidify, I can only imagine it will get better and better.
COME FROM AWAY
Now - September 28th
Derby Dinner Playhouse
525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129
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