Review: COME FROM AWAY at Milwaukee Repertory Theater

On a chilly Saturday evening in Milwaukee, we were transported to a culture filled with local beer, boiled cod dishes, cold, snowy winters, and dialectical quirks…not too far a jump for a Wisconsinite, at first glance. The town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada, was the setting for both the show, Come from Away, and the very real 7,000 passengers from around the world whose flights were diverted on September 11, 2001, amid a country in distress. On that day and for the next few hard days, the residents of Gander banded together to house, feed, and provide information and solace for those who were landing in a destination not of their choosing, perhaps only connected to each other through the sentiment that nobody wanted this, but everybody has to find a way to make it work. Come from Away tells the story of these experiences—from the confused, worried, irritable, angry, and horrified, to the committed, resilient, resolute, and forever moved.

The inaugural production in Milwaukee Rep’s renovated Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater inside of their new Associated Bank Theater Center was nothing short of impressive—from its soft wood paneled walls, warm lighting, and roomy seats to the exposed brick, a tangible reminder of its industrial roots, the space was a warm hug against the cold, windy night. Similarly, the story of Come from Away was a friend who made you feel welcomed right away, and who held your hand with a firm grip during some unexpected turbulence. 

On that note, the cast did feature some familiar Milwaukee Rep faces, including Karen Ziemba (Diane), Grace Bobber Janice), Michael Doherty (Oz), Kelley Faulkner (Beverley/Annette), Gavin Gregory (Bob), Richard Ruiz Henry (Claude), Steven Koehler (Nick/Doug), and Megan Loomis (Bonnie), alongside new-to-the-Rep Dayna Jarae Dantzler (Hannah), Joy Hermalyn (Beaulah), Adam Rennie (Kevin T/Garth), and Levin (Kevin J/Ali). Together, the group made for a tight ensemble, with nary a character having more than a five-minute break on stage in between scenes, songs, and costume changes, not unlike the citizens of the town of Gander, who had no breaks in streamlining resources like cots, shower facilities, clothes, food, toothbrushes, menstrual products, and more to outsiders still feeling for their feet underneath them after a long travel day. Helping the story come alive is the live band featuring Glen Asch, Olivia Dobbs, Bob Monogle, Patrick Morrow, Michael Ritterm Vidar Skrede Paule Westfahl, and Ben Yats, whose tunes evoked a sense of building comradery throughout the show. Impressively, the band joined the actors during the final scene of the show, on a set that seemed to be jutting out gently into the audience (thanks to a minimal set design by Todd Edward Ivins), and performed from memory, without sheet music, while the audience clapped along.

In one particularly moving scene, the citizens of Gander join in on a United States national moment of silence for the lives lost on 9/11. In response to the passengers endlessly thanking the Newfoundlanders throughout the story for their generosity of spirit, the recurring humble response of the citizens of Gander is simply “you would’ve done the same.”