Come From Away
Come From Away opened at the Red Tree Theatre, Tuggerah last Friday night. It showcases the wonderful true story of how the community of the small Canadian town of Gander opened their hearts and homes in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The unexpected arrival of 7,000 stranded passengers and flight crew, the “plane people”, was the direct result of US airspace being closed and 38 international flights being diverted to Gander International Airport. Suddenly the population of the small town has almost doubled in size and the “plane people” are tired, scared and confused and they do not yet know the true reason as to where and why they have been grounded.
When they eventually disembark and watch the televisions in their emergency shelters, the passengers begin to understand the horror of the situation in the US and desperately try to contact their relatives while the local townsfolk spring into action and work tirelessly to help these perfect strangers. The "islanders" in Gander and the surrounding towns open up their homes to the "plane people", regardless of their guests' race, nationality, or sexual orientation. Over the coming days, waiting for US airspace to be re-opened, strangers become friends and lifelong bonds are formed.
Grace Callaghan is perfectly cast as Janice, the intrepid local reporter who is full of optimism and wide-eyed innocence. I hope to see more of her at the Red Tree. Also outstanding is Anna Carter as Beulah, her natural maternal instincts coming out of every pore as she tries to meet the needs of absolutely everybody who is suddenly under her care. Anna’s son, Luca, has a maturity beyond his years and is highly believable as both Kevin J and a Muslim traveler, switching between personas and accents in the blink of any eye. A particularly moving scene involves the increasing prejudice his Muslim character receives from his fellow passengers which culminates in his being horribly humiliated at the airport. Luca’s dancing was particularly noticeable too, as he stomped with conviction and really enjoyed the musicality of this performance.
Marc Calwell, primarily as Nick, is reliably strong and his delivery is well enunciated as always. Younger performers on the Central Coast would be wise to take example of his clear projection and stage presence. When body mic’s fail or ‘underscoring’ becomes ‘overscoring’, experienced performers of a certain age know how to throw their voices to the back wall. Marc, like myself, was performing long before the introduction of body mic’s and I could always hear him in this production, unlike some of his fellow performers who were occasionally overpowered by the orchestra.
Peter Gollop is genuinely warm and likeable both as Claude and every other role that he plays. His singing voice is very easy to listen to and he comes across as a really personable guy. Similarly, Ruth Jordon brings a natural warmth to her role of Hannah. She represents so many mothers who were hopelessly separated from their children for many days, simply because flight paths were diverted and the US were naturally cautious about re-opening their airports. Khalil Khay brings some much needed light relief to the story through his roles of Bob and an occasional sexy cameo who almost sweeps Annette off her feet.
Annette and more importantly Beverly Bass are both delivered flawlessly by Sancia West. Sancia is always a pleasure to watch because not only does she consistently sing beautifully, but she also acts with her entire body and face so that there is absolutely no ambiguity about the emotions that she is trying to convey. She seamlessly flips between Annette and Beverly, including a vocal register change to help distinguish these characters. Watching Sancia in this is a masterclass in musical theatre performance. Also very impressive is Sian Hayes as Bonnie, the SPCA worker who is convinced that she is the only local who is concerned about potential animals in the cargo holds of the 38 planes. She follows her instincts and rescues 19 different creatures in total. Indeed, when Hayes was talking to the animals that she had saved I became a little teary. Her stage presence and confidence are clear to see and like Callaghan, I would like to see more of her at the Red Tree too.
Oz and others are brought to life here by Damien Morley, a robust actor who conveniently looks like a cross between a Canadian police officer and a Rabbi. Morley’s understated personas balanced out some of the more intense characters in this, meaning that the show was a true cross section of society, reflecting how some personalities would naturally be louder and more assertive than others. Karen Pendleton’s Diane had a delightful nervous energy about her as she navigates not only what has happened back home but also the budding romance that she finds herself in. Pendleton’s portrayal adds a sweet sense of hopefulness to an otherwise morbid context. Not all was lost, and for some a silver lining was definitely found.
Last but absolutely not least, Brett Perkins plays Kevin T and others very convincingly. He jumps in and out of characters ranging from being in a same sex couple to an angry driver to the President himself. Perkins doesn’t miss a beat and has high energy throughout.
The set is deceptively simple here. It looks simple to the naked eye but the number of chair and table movements is extraordinary. Best of all, most of these happen so smoothly and effortlessly that you don’t notice it’s happening until after they’ve changed. This choreography/set movement was very well drilled so hats off to Director Daniel Craig and Choreographer Lauren Miller who presumably both had a hand in all of that manoeuvring. Musical Director Kimberley Gilbert has again excelled herself, casually learning how to play the piano accordion for this production, whilst leading a band where others were also sourcing and learning new instruments. Isabella O’Brien plays three different flutes from her repertoire of 15 instruments and Zoe Conolan-Glen apparently made one of the tin whistles that she plays, along with the uilleann pipes. There are so many young people involved here with ridiculous amounts of talent. Even the Stage Manager is a student cutting her teeth as an SM!!
Come from Away continues to play at the Red Tree Theatre until Sunday 23rd March. You may not cry over the compassion shown by the people of Newfoundland, Canada but you will certainly leave wondering why it takes a terrorist attack for humans to act with compassion for one another. Shouldn’t we all live like that, all of the time?
9 cod kisses out of 10.
Fiona Kelly
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