Two things stood out as I made my way to Row G: the audience seemed really–I mean, really–happy and there was way more flannel than usual in the Cadillac Palace, even for February.
When I sat down, the guy in the flannel shirt sitting next to me leaned over and asked, “Have you seen this show?” I shook my head, a little surprised. Usually, I take a few moments to get settled before I give a polite nod and ‘hello’ to my row-mates, but we were wasting no time. “It’s amazing,” he said, “You’re gonna love it!” And then, again, with a warm glow, “It’s amazing!”
A moment later, the super-excited guy behind me (no flannel, this time) turned to the woman in the seat next to him and said, “I just want to warn you that I’m going to cry through the second half of the show. I’m sorry, but I just thought you should know.” Then his date, beaming with joy, put her arm around him and promptly confirmed his statement to everyone sitting near the couple. It went on like this for the next fifteen minutes–people talking about how much they loved the show before it started.
Turns out they were right. Come From Away is amazing, and the guy behind me did in fact cry through the second half of the musical. I could hear the sniffles. But no judgment, I was right there with him.
Here’s the bottom line… Come From Away lifts the heart, brightens the soul, and reminds us of everything good about humanity. It’s the most uplifting show I’ve seen, by a longshot, since theaters reopened in Chicago last fall.
Go see this show! You need it. You might not know how bad you need it, but you need it.
We needed Come From Away in 2011 when Michael Rubinoff first asked Irene Sankoff and David Hein to consider writing a musical based on the extraordinary, Canadian-sized, random act of kindness by the townsfolk of Gander.
We needed it even more when the musical soared around the U.S. and Canada on its way to Broadway in 2017, and then across the pond to its 2019 West End debut.
We needed it a whole lot more when the film version of the stage production was released on Apple TV+ on September 10, 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
And now, two years into the global pandemic–with a litany of life challenges including, but not limited to, anxiety, frustration, isolation, alienation, inflation, stagnation, a broken nation, over caffeination, and self-medication–we need it more than ever.
‘On the northeast tip of North America on an island called Newfoundland, there’s an airport. It used to be one of the biggest airports in the world, and next to it is a town called Gander.’ explains ‘Welcome to the Rock’, the musical’s opening song. And, with these lines, we begin our ascent to two hours of genuine goodness.
Come From Away tells the true story of the five days following the 9/11 attacks when 38 planes carrying more than 7,000 passengers were forced to land at Gander International Airport. With no clear sense of how long the ‘7,000 strays’ and their nineteen animals would be staying, the folks from Gander opened their homes and took in the confused, frightened, and utterly stranded passengers without hesitation. The town’s effort was heartfelt, heartwarming, all-encompassing, and beautiful. One Islander’s sweetly hilarious offer pretty much sums up the extraordinary lengths they went to… ‘Thank you for shopping at Walmart. Would you like to come back to my house for a shower?’
Now, in its second decade on stage, Come From Away has thoroughly won the hearts of a dedicated following–hence the flannel–but it’s clear this two-week run at the Cadillac Palace has something special. Under Christopher Ashley’s brilliant direction, with staging by Kelly Devine and musical supervision by Ian Eisendrath, the show lifts you up and carries you along for two beautiful hours.
The Come From Away cast is the definition of a true ensemble: no stars and, somehow, all stars. Sharon Sayegh, Harter Clingman, Marika Aubrey, Julia Knitel, James Earl Jones II, and the rest of the cast flow from moment to moment, song to song, in and out of characters and dialects, up and down from emotional highs and lows, never slowing, never stopping, without an intermission. ‘I’m an islander! I am an islander!’ they sing together, and suddenly we all are. As individuals, I’m sure they’re extraordinary, but together the cast is genius.
And the same can be said for the musical score. It’s a show without a showstopper–just great song after great song, each perfectly calibrated to move the story and shape the feeling. Featured prominently on stage, and deservedly so, Music Director Cameron Moncur’s band is pure Newfoundland (I think). From the opening drum beats to the closing jam session, they deliver the score with energy and, well, fun. Speaking of fun, the set is a perfect blend of Canadian forest, Tim Horton’s, and Molson.
‘You are here, at the start of a moment, On the edge of the world. Where the river meets the sea,’ the musical tells us, and even though we know we are still in the same world with all of the same problems, we believe them.
Come From Away is a feel-good masterpiece, but don’t take my word for it. As the cast took their bows, the guy (yep, flannel) on the other side of me leapt to his feet to join the standing ovation and called out “This was even better than the London production!” I’ll take his word for it. These people love their ‘Islander’s.
And who wouldn’t? Come From Away is a salve for the soul, a tonic for tough times, and a reminder that there are ordinary people out there who care.
Come From Away is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through March 6th