“Come From Away” is a tale of impossible compassion

In the first hours after the horrific acts of 9/11/2001, the United States closed down its airspace nationwide. Planes in the air were forced to land; planes on the ground could not take off. And planes headed into US airspace from abroad were forced to divert to airports outside the country. For the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, that meant playing host to over 6500 people — increasing the town’s population by 50% in a matter of hours.

How the townspeople of Gander and neighboring towns coped with their stranded, scared guests is the story of Come From Away, the 2017 musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. As we commemorate the 25th anniversary of those attacks,and as the United States and Canada engage in economic warfare, a reminder of how that day brought our countries together is urgently needed.

The show begins on a typical September morning in Gander. At the local Tim Horton’s, as the townsfolk start their morning, fledgling TV reporter Janice rushes in, telling them to turn on the radio. At the horrific news of the attacks on the two World Trade Center towers, and hearing that 38 international flights are being diverted to Gander Airport, the townspeople spring into action to prepare to take care of the airplane passengers and crew – but how many people will that be, and for how long?

On board one of the planes, an American Airlines flight bound from Paris to New York, neither the crew nor the passengers are told the reason for their flight’s divergence to Gander. Fatigue and impatience grow among the passengers after spending over a day in the aircraft. It’s not until they are allowed to disembark that they learn the true reason why their flight was diverted to Gander.

In the course of the next week, the townspeople mount an immense effort to allay the fears and concerns of the stranded travelers and take care of their needs. Local businesses rally with donations of food, clothing, and personal supplies. Public buildings and private homes supply shelter, and the locals do their best to show how Newfoundlanders treat strangers in their midst. Bonds between locals and travelers and among the travelers themselves start to form; existing relationships between some of the travelers are tested through adversity. But the pilots are racing against time: the longer the planes stay grounded, the less airworthy they become, and there are reports of a hurricane heading toward Gander.

The cast, under the direction of Lisa Stevens, rise to the occasion, adroitly handling multiple roles with skill. At the performance I attended, they also had to deal with body microphones that would inexplicably cut in and out during musical numbers, but any problems were handled by the performers who did their best to cope.

Standout performances were given by Stephanie Lynne Mason as Beverley, the first female pilot at American Airlines, who finds out that one of her close friends piloted one of the four crashed airplanes; Dara Gallagher as Bonnie, head of the local SPCA, who makes it her mission to care for the animals on board the aircraft; Aneesh Kanthan as Ali, an Egyptian-born Muslim American treated with suspicion and subjected to a humiliating strip search before being allowed to reboard his plane home to New York; and Maddy Wenig as Janice the reporter and as a flight attendant on Beverley’s plane.

Fine performances were also given by Larry Tobias as the mayor of Gander; Jessica Sheridan as Beulah, a school teacher and leader of the drive for supplies; Michael Daly as Oz, the town constable; and Jacob Canderozzi as Garth, head of the bus drivers’ union, who put a strike on hold to transport the stranded to shelter in Gander and neighboring towns.

Brian O’Brien and Joy Hermalyn shine as British businessman Nick and Texas divorcee Diane, who find unexpected romance during their stay on the island. Canderozzi and Kanthan are Kevin T. and Kevin J., a gay couple whose differing approaches to the situation threaten to tear their relationship apart. Their reaction to finding a bar where just about everyone has a queer friend or relation brings a touch of levity to the proceedings. Melrose Johnson gives a solid, touching performance as Hannah, trying to contact her son, a first responder in NYC, with no success. Timothy Ware-Hill’s monologue as Bob, a young black New Yorker who is tasked with picking up cooking grills from the townfolks’ yards, is a study in experience-based fear with an unexpected twist.

Fred Sorrentino’s set, designed to look like the inside of an airport hangar, changes into the various locales with just a few rearrangements of furniture, with the help of David Heguy’s lighting. Colleen Burns’ costumes delineate the actors’ multiple characters with changes in accessories – hats, jackets, scarves – giving each character a distinct visual identity. Music director Charles Santoro leads a six-piece on-stage band through the score with dexterity.

Come From Away is a joyous, life-affirming show, and the Bell Theatre in Holmdel is to be commended for choosing to present this show at this time when our current relations with Canada are rockky. It is warm and lively and has you leaving the theatre uplifted in spirit. I recommend seeing it before its limited engagement ends. You owe it to yourselves to make the trip to Holmdel to see how Newfoundlanders deal with unexpected guests who Come From Away!

Come From Away is presented in the Bell Theatre in Holmdel through October 4th. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to axelrodartscenter.com.