Curve, Leicester
Tuesday 5th March, 2024
“Because we come from everywhere, we all
come from away”
Around six years ago 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 sorrow. The events of September 11th
2001 are etched in the minds of a nation – a world – and while it may be one of
the most horrific atrocities 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 a
successful run in the West End, the musical is kicking off its first UK tour at
Curve, aiming to bring the small but immense story of kindness to a wider audience.
Following the attacks, 7,000
passengers had their planes diverted to a remote 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 during 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 (Amanda Henderson), and Hannah (Bree
Smith), 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 (Daniel Crowder),
and Diane (Kirsty Hoiles), 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 (Sara Poyzer) 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 and all the more touching in contrast. 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, clocking in at a succinct 100 minutes.
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 can’t help but
restore one’s faith in humanity.
Come
From Away is playing at Curve, Leicester until 9th March
For full tour details please visit:
https://comefromawaylondon.co.uk/tour-dates/
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| Sara Poyzer and the cast of Come From Away. Credit: Craig Sugden |
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