True story of compassion and unity in ‘Come From Away’ musical

Written by Marla Massie

“Come From Away” is the harrowing true story of how one small town in Canada came together to house, feed, shelter, and comfort over 7,000 international passengers and military personnel during the 9/11 tragedy in what would later be called “Operation: Yellow Ribbon”.

The musical was directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley. The book, music, and lyrics were written by the Tony-nominated husband-and-wife team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, started out as any other day. The skies were blue, and the weather was nice. People were waking up, heading to work, taking their kids to school. Over the course of several hours, 7,000 stranded airline passengers were diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, on the far, eastern edge of Canada, almost instantly doubling its population. Many passengers didn’t speak English. Nearly all of them were strangers, and yet, that didn’t deter the townsfolk from opening up their homes, hearts, and wallets to care for the influx of people who were scared, tired, and so far away from home.

The opening number “Welcome to the Rock,” the songs represent a mix of styles and voices. Mostly sung by the entire ensemble, who are an eclectic collection of various townspeople. It give us an insight into what life is like in small-town Canada.

The production work alone deserves commendation: it required a dozen players to be in near constant motion as they took on a multitude of different parts, from townsfolk to travelers to flight crew. Switching around some tables and chairs literally brings different scenes to life, from a Tim Horton’s coffee shop to a bar, to the inside of a plane cabin and a few buses. It’s incredible, yet slightly dizzying, to watch the actors shift and move in organized chaos and still make each scene different. At times they shuffle so quickly between parts, it makes you wonder how they kept it all straight, but no one ever misses a beat, an accent or an emotion.

The cast is so uniformly good it’s practically impossible to single anyone out, However, Addison Garner had a delightful story. She portrayed Beverley Bass, the first woman captain of an American Airlines commercial flight, and her performance of “Me and the Sky,” a song detailing her life story and how her worldview changed that day, was phenomenal. Trey DeLuna pulls a heavy load as Ali, an Egyptian passenger who is treated with hostility from some of the other passengers and is forced to jump through some humiliating hoops to prove that he is no threat to anyone.

Jason Tyler Smith’s portrayal of Bob had much reluctance to the Canadian’s open-heartedness, considering he is a black man from the United States. Kathleen Cameron, Erich Schroeder, Hannah Kato, Andrew Hendrick, Shawn W. Smith, Stanton Morales, Candace Alyssa Rhodes, Kristin Litzenberg, and Molly Samson round out the rest of this ensemble cast.

One of the most striking things I noticed was the diversity of the cast members. They look like regular people from all walks of life, varying body types, ages, religions, and ethnicities.

There were also some chuckles about hockey, whiskey, and moose blocking the road. The folks of Gander were unwavering with their chipper and helpful attitudes, but that’s just The Canadian Way. They had very little time to prepare but did the best they could with the resources they had to accommodate the 38 planeloads of people, which is inspiring considering the horrific events that have transpired.

You’d think that a musical about 9/11 couldn’t possibly be made, and then you’d think, if this DID become a musical, there’s no way it can be done right…but Ashley, Sankoff and Hein managed to do just that, and they did it tastefully and respectfully to everyone involved. “Come From Away” is a musical, based on an incredible and unforgettable true story about kindness, charity and goodwill to our fellow man. 9/11 was an attack on humanity. Gander, Newfoundland’s story of Operation Yellow Ribbon is about faith in humanity being restored.

“Come From Away” is running now through Sunday, August 18th. Tickets are still available for all performances and can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000 or online at playhousesquare.org.