You know that feeling when you’ve got a lump in your throat, and you feel like you might be on the verge of tears? But not sad tears, happy tears. A kind of overwhelming, goosebumpy (almost ticklish?) sensation, when you’re suddenly overcome with just how great it is to be alive?
I think I got that feeling about three minutes into Come From Away – in fact, I can pin point the exact moment – when the cast sang the line ‘You are here, at the start of a moment’, which struck a particular chord both musically and metaphorically that reduced me to an emotionally unstable mess – a state in which I remained till curtain down.
This musical tells the story of 38 planes being grounded off-the-coast of Canada on the island of Newfoundland following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. The small town of Gander’s population more than doubled as passengers from all over the globe had their flights diverted away from the United States. So, residents clambered together, sourcing everything from accommodation to food and amenities, in a collective act of selflessness that feels borderline unrealistic when compared with modern day.
Watching this show is to witness pure human kindness, and I have to be honest, it stung. The ghost of the pandemic lingers, and it’s hard to block out contemporary examples of people who couldn’t find it in themselves to put off a party or barbeque for a matter of months to save lives, when the town of Gander uprooted their whole lives at a moment’s notice simply because strangers were in need.
The Cast of Come From Away, UK Tour. Credit: Craig Sugden
Come from Away is a true ensemble masterpiece, with its cast switching seamlessly between various characters to play both islanders and passengers. They tackle multiple accents and adopt widely differing mannerisms, without the help of costume changes which might have made the transitions plainer to see, and yet each change is clear as crystal – more than that, you find yourself disliking passengers like the smarmy, judgmental Kevin and rooting for characters like Ali, an ostracised Egyptian chef, entirely forgetting that they’re being played by the same fella (Jamal Zulfiqar) who was another islander just two scenes earlier.
There are countless examples of this, whether it’s Amanda Henderson’s superb performance as Beulah, or Sara Poyzer as Captain Beverley Bass who brings the house down with her superb rendition of ‘Me and the Sky’, whilst also providing comedic highlights along the way as Annette, with her consistently hilarious romantic fantasies.
There’s an authenticity to the characters – a sweetness borne out of what could perhaps be considered, a simple, sheltered life. And this extends to the passengers, who at first feel alienated, and in some cases superior to life on Gander, but soon find their layers are stripped back. There’s a sense that this quickly assembled community is reflective of who we all are underneath and it is only in times of crisis that our masks truly slip.
The quality of the music – composed by Irene Sankoff and David Hein – is a cut-above the rest, with a band on stage that become characters in their own right – somehow managing to place a cherry on top of what was a pretty delicious cake of a finale with an encore during the bows that feels almost impromptu, performed especially for us on the night.
This is genuinely one of the best shows I have ever seen, partly because of its infectious music, spellbinding performances and exquisite storytelling, but mainly because it taps into something so human – a belief that if you are in need, someone will be there to offer a hand and expect nothing in return. But it seems pretty obvious to anyone who’s even glanced at the world we live in right now, that this notion is far closer to a hope than an expectation.
Come From Away is a stark reminder of what we all could be, even if, in present times, it feels more of an optimistic aspiration than an authentic reflection – which, when you truly think about it, is enough to leave you with a lump in your throat.
Wales Millennium Centre till 06/04/2024
UK Tour information available here