Come From Away.

This is a musical based on actual events which occurred at the time of the 9/11 attacks in New York. The community in the remote town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada suddenly found themselves inundated by numerous flights directed away from the US. The musical does not make light of a tragic situation but highlights a positive episode in a dark historical chapter. 

The melodies, the music, the characters, and setting are all well within the realm of reality. They combine to enjoy the quirkiness of Canadian culture and humour and show a gradual and, at times, uneasy development of a strong bond between the locals and the stranded passengers.

The lyrics focus on driving the story forward along with the dialogue and narrations, while the music and choreography effectively capture and illustrate the emotions experienced by the characters. As an ensemble piece the efforts of each cast member are important and equally calibrated. Each performer showed a wide range of singing, dancing and acting abilities that gives good credence to this very emotional story. In terms of vocals, both Zoe Gertz (Beverly) and Sarah Nairne (Hannah) provided some exceptional singing and great depth to what is often an emotional rollercoaster. 

The look and feel of the show is entirely authentic, keeping aspects such as costuming and setting simple and realistic. The music is very accessible and performed by a band rather than an orchestra and this helps successfully combine the somewhat incongruous combination of serious drama with the musical genre. This production maintains the spirit of this feel-good show and provides a great showcase for some terrific local and international talent.

Patricia Di Risio 

Buy the play script at Book Nook.

Photographer: Jeff Busby