‘Come From Away’ Shines Brightly
on the Human Spirit at The Muny

By Pat Lindsey

In the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland, there’s  an airport, 3,000 residents, and a Tim Horton’s coffee shop where everything starts and ends. Tuesday, September 11, 2001 began just like every other day in Gander, but the way it ended could have never been imagined in a million years.

‘Come From Away’ is the true story of how the people of a small, rural community in Canada pulled together to provide food, shelter, clothing, and compassion for 7,000 strangers on one of the darkest days in America’s history. Thirty-eight planes were ordered to land in Gander after U.S. airspace was closed following the 9/11 attacks. The passengers had no idea why they were landing in this vast darkness. Hours passed before they could deplane. They wanted to go home or at least phone home. After they were welcomed to “The Rock,” an affectionate nickname for Gander, they didn’t know how long they would be staying. When they finally watched the news, they understood that there was nothing they could do but be patient.

A dozen amazing actors play the multiple roles of the flight crew, passengers, and townspeople for 100 mesmerizing minutes. Each one deserves top billing, but notable is the first female American Airlines pilot (Beverley) played by Heidi Blickenstaff, who sings a beautiful rendition of, “Me and the Sky.” Another memorable character is the mother of a NYC fire-fighter (Hannah) played by Grammy Award-winning singer Tamika Lawrence, who bonds with Beau (St. Louisan Zoe Vonder Haar) while she desperately tries to call her son in New York. She can bring tears with, “I Am Here.” The lone Brit (Nick) in this group who befriends a lovely woman from Houston (Diane played by Ashley Brown) is John Bolton, who has played in three Tony Award-winning musicals on Broadway.

The actors switch roles as quickly as the story moves on through the four days the planes are grounded and lives are being changed forever. In spite of the sad subject matter, there is humor and a world of hope, heart and humanity. Irish music and folk dancing is added for extra enjoyment and people of all nationalities, ethnicities, and sexual orientations come together as one cohesive family. The “come from aways,” as the Ganders called them, are no longer strangers.

With only 12 actors on the gigantic Muny stage, it took a phenomenal set designer to fill the space and make those actors seem like many more. Ed Haynes accomplished that feat by going from a bunch of chairs representing a coffee shop to a big wooden revolving set that doubled as the belly of a plane. That set, along with quick, punchy choreography by Jesse Robb and perfect quick-change costumes by Gail Baldoni must have made Director Seth Sklar-Heyn’s work a dream.

‘Come From Away’ is a small production that makes a huge impact on its audience. It shines a bright light on a dark day in American history. And it renews our faith in humanity. You must see it on The Muny stage by July 2. For more info, go to muny.org.

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