Come from Away
Music, Lyrics and Book by Irene Sankoff & David Hein
Directed by Christopher Ashley
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
Without a single showtune you'll be humming long after, this national touring production of Come From Away is moving, triumphant, engaging and endearing. Too bad this stunningly staged run is so surprisingly short. The remarkable assembled cast, each performing multiple roles, bring to life the anxious airline passengers grounded by 9/11 and the townspeople of Gander, Newfoundland who magnanimously come to their aid.
Christopher Ashley won the Tony for "Best Direction of a Musical" and besides the talented cast, his staging makes Come From Away one of the great American masterpieces. Using twelve chairs on a revolving stage, Ashley creates the stacking airlines circling for a landing as well as the buses hired to route 7,000 passengers to their holding destinations. It's simple yet astounding.
The background story, were it not true, would seem utterly fantastic. Gander was once a bustling major airport, a refueling station for transatlantic routes. With the bigger jets able to fly further, Gandar lost its allure. Now the big issue of the day is a school bus strike. Then came the tragedy of 9/11 and Gandar and its townspeople must absorb 7,000 strangers form all over the globe for an indefinite period of time.
It's a logistical nightmare of foreign languages, dietary restrictions, religions, pets and lodging. But the simple, kind people do what must be done. It's a triumph of kindness, sharing and tolerance in a time where suspicions, fear and helplessness reign. Providing phones and computers are a major luxury and allows the passengers a sense of connectedness.
Throughout the 100-minute show we come to empathize with the passengers; the African American man who's shocked by the townspeople's kindness and feels totally safe, the Egyptian Muslim who can feel the animosity and suspicion, and the cute single passengers who forge a budding romance.
The townspeople are incredibly endearing with their Canadian twang and peculiar customs. Key players are the town's mayor Claude (Kevin Carolan), a passenger whose NYC firefighter son is missing (Julie Johnson), and Beverly, the first female American Airlines pilot Marika Aubrey). Actors change accents, clothes and personalities seamlessly to be either passenger or townspeople.
Ther are beautiful moments throughout; a muti-religious prayer scene, the moment when the unknowing passengers finally watch the tragedy on TV and a joyous revelry where the passengers become "official" New Foundlanders by drinking and kissing a fish. The book by Irene Sankoff and David Hein wonderfully includes elements of the tragedy while highlighting the capacity for human kindness in the darkest of times.
Come From Away runs through July 17th, 2022. Tickets are available online at broadwaysanjose.com, by calling 408-792-4111.
Photo Credits: Matthew Murphy
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