Phoenix Theatre, London
Wednesday 20th February, 2019, matinee
“Because we come from everywhere, we all
come from away”
Nearly a year ago to the day we
visited Ground Zero and the 9/11 memorial in New York. Never had I felt the
magnitude of emotion I felt that day. From the physicality of land and space
around the memorial, to the simple but deeply touching gesture of placing a
single white rose upon the names of victims on their birthdays, it is a place
of tranquillity, reflection and awful sorrow. The museum I found to be
painfully profound and I’m ashamed to admit that the gut-wrenching details of
some of the exhibits defeated me and I had to excuse myself. The events of
September 11th 2001 are etched in the minds of a nation – a world –
and while it may be the most horrific atrocity to occur in the West in my living memory, it also brought out
the best in humanity – something which Irene Sankoff and David Hein home in on
in their life-affirming musical, Come
From Away.
Following the attacks, 7,000 passengers
had their planes diverted to a small Newfoundland airport, nearly doubling the island’s
population in the space of a morning. The musical follows the townspeople as
they do all they can to accommodate the panic-stricken ‘come from aways’, while
also focusing on the personal losses of those aboard the diverted planes and
the life-long friendships formed over those fateful five days north of the
border.
Suspicions, cultural differences, and even language barriers are
eventually put to one side as the islanders and the plane people unite in a
time of hardship and uncertainty. I got goosebumps during a scene where a
Newfoundland bus driver finally reassures an African family using passages from
the bible and the universal numbering system of verses to communicate. Likewise,
the bond between local teacher, Beulah, and Hannah, whose son is an NYC
firefighter and currently missing, is forged via a shared fondness for terrible
jokes. Humour. Faith. Love. These universal human traits are shown to abide
within the darkest moments.
One of the musical’s most charming
through-lines is that of awkward British businessman, Nick, and Diane, a single
mother from Texas whose instant connection aboard their stranded plane blossoms
into a tender and hesitant relationship. It’s a romance between two very
ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and one can’t help but feel
touched by Diane’s survivors-guilt when admitting she feels a kind of remorse
that something so special, that had brought her so much happiness, could
transpire out of something so awful. Moreover, Sankoff and Hein don’t shy away
from the extreme fear and paranoia that dogged communities in the aftermath of
the attacks. A Muslim passenger is viewed with unwarranted suspicion by his
fellow travellers and is forced to undergo a humiliating strip-search before
being allowed to re-board his plane.
However, on the whole, Come From Away is a story of
togetherness, highlighted in the local bar ‘Screech In’, in which several of
the plane people are bestowed with full Islander status – after downing shots
and kissing a freshly caught fish in a booze-fuelled initiation ritual. This
rustic traditionalism is captured in Sankoff and Hein’s folky music; quaint yet
never twee, it effuses a sense of wilderness entwined with the serene harmonies
brought about by collective familiarity. Stand out numbers include the lilting
paean to momentary happiness, ‘Stop The World’, Hannah’s desperation to protect
her child in ‘I Am Here’, and pilot, Beverley’s triumphant love-letter to
flight, ‘Me and the Sky’.
Beowulf Boritt’s set invites us
into the rural haven of Gander. Wood panelling and a landscape of lofty trees
provide the backdrop to director Christopher Ashley’s deceptively simple
staging. The minute the plane people land we are plunged into a world of
swirling perpetual motion wherein those still, quiet moments of reflection are
illuminated. Ashley directs a faultless cast in an array of roles in which
actors switch from playing Newfoundlanders to plane people at the drop of a
hat. In a case of art imitating life, the piece zips along in breathless
fashion, meaning our time in Gander is short but sweet.
Ultimately, Come From Away is so much more than the sum of its parts. The
reaction of the audience when we saw it was overwhelmingly positive and the
auditorium was aflood with emotion. At a time where cynicism, bigotry and
selfishness seem to reign supreme, Sankoff, Hein, Ashley and, most importantly,
those Newfoundland islanders that agreed to share their stories have restored
my faith in humanity.
Come
From Away is currently booking at the Phoenix Theatre until 14th
September, 2019.
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| The cast of Come From Away. Credit: Matthew Murphy. |
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