Come From Away | Review
The plot of Come From Away sounds like a work of fiction but, blessedly, it’s all true. Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote this Tony Award-winning musical based on the real life event that occurred during the September 11th attacks, in which the small town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada saw their population nearly double when they hosted over 7,000 stranded international airline passengers for five days after the U.S. airspace was closed. A musical based on 9/11 may not sound like a good idea, but you should give it a chance—it’s really, really great.
This is a film recording of a live stage performance (like Hamilton on Disney+), filmed in May 2021 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater as the world is in the midst of another crisis. Featuring a cast of just 12 (Patrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, De’Lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Emily Walton, Jim Walton, Sharon Wheatley, Paul Whitty), it’s a testament to the work of director Christopher Ashley, DP Tobias A. Schliessler (Beauty and the Beast), choreographer Kelly Devine (Rock of Ages), scenic designer Beowulf Boritt (Act One), and the performers that the production feels so much larger. The set design doesn’t impress at first glance, but it impresses you as the story progresses, standing in for a bar, airplane cabin, a Tim Horton’s, and more, all with just minor changes. This is a musical that’s entirely sung—there’s no dialogue—and added with the fact that the 12 actors each portray multiple characters is even more astounding. The choreography isn’t flashy but the actors are always in intricate motion. From beginning to end, the show keeps you hooked with its high-energy performances, fun and lively songs, and memorable characters. Yes, this is indeed a feel-good musical set during 9/11.
What makes Come From Away worth watching is its depiction of human kindness. The citizens of Gander are told they’re going to host 38 planes worth of people at short notice, yet they don’t hesitate to come together and make the most of their limited resources to show their trademark Canadian hospitality (“Thank you for shopping at Walmart,” says one Gander citizen. “Would you like to come back to my house for a shower?”). I’m literally tearing up as I write this review. During a time of intense polarization, xenophobia, and racism, when kindness seems to be in short supply, it’s honestly so touching to see strangers supporting each other during a tragedy.
We see characters coming together despite language barriers (human kindness is one language). Two characters from different continents meet and fall in love. But it’s not all positivity. The musical touches on the Islamophobia that resulted from the attacks, with one character facing discrimination from law enforcement. A loving couple breaks up due to the stress and trauma from the situation. A woman anxiously waits to hear from her son, a New York City firefighter. In a standout sequence, Jenn Colella (who plays Beverly Bass, the real-life pilot who was the first woman captain of American Airlines) sings an inspirational song about her love of flying; it was a dream of hers to become a pilot since she was a child, and she’s achieved it, despite facing sexism. “And the one thing I love more than anything was used as the bomb,” she sings, sorrowfully. “Suddenly something has died.” It’s a gut-punch.
Originally, the plan was to adapt the musical into a feature film. The pandemic led to the project’s cancellation in favor of this live recording. I think it was a wise decision, because we so desperately need a film like this to bring us joy, something not cynical, but earnest. As we saw with this year’s film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, the transition from stage to the big screen doesn’t always work (the Dear Evan Hansen film was surprisingly low-energy and boring). This isn’t a problem Come From Away faces, as you can feel the energy and power of the performances, almost as if you were seeing this in person.
“Tonight, we honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found,” one character sings in the finale. Set in Newfoundland, the characters of Come From Away, and we, the viewers, experience newfound love, compassion, and hope.
