COME FROM AWAY Comes in for an Exuberant Broadway-Style Landing!
NOVEMBER 10TH—CERRITOS
You know that lump that forms in your throat in the opening minutes of COME FROM AWAY and remains lodged there for 102 buoyant minutes? That's the physical confirmation that this effervescent musical, enveloped in Canadian good will, is an antidote for what ails the American soul.
It's a medical balm that barely touches the surface of what happened 1700 miles away that fateful day — a day that would change the world forever. Two planes hijacked by Islamic jihadists vowing death to all Americans, had plowed into both towers at the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane, presumably headed for the White House or the U.S. Capitol, was heroically diverted by passengers, crashing in an empty field in Pennsylvania. But this musical isn't about that. This musical is about terrorism’s mortal enemy: Love.
Set in Gander, a refueling stop in Newfoundland with a two-person police force and an oversize airport, 38 jumbo jets were forced to land that day in this small Canadian town, as American airspace had completely shut down. Passengers and crews suddenly became the anxious wards of the local fishing village, its population of 7000 all at once doubling with what they called "plane people." Flights had been diverted to Halifax, Vancouver and other larger cities as well, but probably the most altered was the little town of Gander, who proved itself born for the very task of giving succor and sustenance to the waylaid.
Suddenly in this homogeneous island community there are orthodox Jews, observant Muslims; gay, vegetarian Angelinos; a Brit and a Texan (who meet cute); and one cynical New Yorker who finds the hospitality to be suspect. There are Spanish-speakers and French-speakers and two Swahili-speakers terrified by the sight of volunteers in Salvation Army uniforms.
The enormous job of housing, feeding, and caring for them all is the subject of the intoxicatingly rapturous Tony-nominated musical, COME FROM AWAY, which flew through Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in a two-day non-stop tour run, but left very respectable contrails in a production that reflects a triumph of the human spirit and a common theme of symbiosis between people of all nations.
Hatched by the Canadian team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein and inspired by many interviews of real people, COME FROM AWAY describes, in a series of musical vignettes, the surreal few days experienced by the stranded visitors and their hosts. Both groups were shellshocked by the situation and somewhat befuddled by each other, yet they made the most of the circumstances in a demonstration of tolerance and human decency.
Amid the jollity and musical numbers there are sudden touches of pathos: a mother learns her NYC firefighter son is lost; an Egyptian Muslim chef wants to help cook but is treated with suspicion; the moment the passengers are trapped on board for 15, 20, then almost 30 hours before disembarking — a scene that turns into hilarious laughter, as we watch them idle their time, getting sloshed on mini bottles of booze, doing the wave, or singing along to Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
So, COME FROM AWAY isn’t about the most-ghastly aspects of that sad New York day. It's just the opposite — really a 9/11 story in which no one dies nor witnesses a building collapse. There is, however, a stomach-dropping moment when the ensemble simulates watching TV footage of the attacks, and they finally grasp what has happened.
Sickened and outraged, the pilot sings achingly of how the “thing I loved more than anything was used as the bomb.” That character, Beverley, played by Addison Garner (who also plays a local, love-starved woman), is modeled on Beverley Bass, American Airlines’ first female captain, whose Paris-to-Dallas route was diverted to Gander.
Although the premise is syrupy and sentimental and outrageously funny at times, the show succeeds due to a very proficient creative team as well as the razor-sharp writing of authors Sankoff and Hein. They keep the pace lightning fast and have whittled down the collected stories to illuminate the experiences of a select group of beguiling and relatable characters.
Director Christopher Ashley oversees the electric pace of proceedings, grounding the action with a natural sense of reality. The show is a gift to its twelve very talented cast members and six standbys, giving them all multiple roles to play. With the help of minor costume changes (designed by Toni-Leslie James) and hundreds of pinpoint lighting cues (Howell Brinkley), Director Ashley ensures that the ever-changing line up of characters is crystal clear.
The term “ensemble cast” seemed totally appropriate here. Even in the curtain calls, the cast just bows informally while dancing, with no one particular actor singled out. The performers achieve the cool trick of toggling between Gander residents and passengers, moving around the stage with precision and theatrical acumen. Character arcs that I responded positively towards included the warmth of primary school teacher Beulah (Kristin Litzenberg), the unwinding tension of uptight person of color Bob (Andre Williams) and the burgeoning adult romance between Nick (John Anker Bow) and Diane (Tyler Olshansky-Bailon).
The bracingly kinetic score, which employs foot-stomping, banging rhythms in the opener, “Welcome To The Rock,” and lovely Celtic-flavored passages in “I Am Here” and “Stop the World” keeps the audience squirming in their seats on a buzzy high of good will. An eight-year-old three seats down bounced so hard the entire row of seats became loose.
Sankoff and Hein’s songs are performed with infectious toe-tapping energy and have a distinctively catchy bluegrass sound (musically directed by Sarah Pool Wilhelm). The band, performing on stage near the wings, include rare instruments such as the bodhran, bouzouki, mandolin and uillean pipes. The centerpiece of the score is “Prayer,” a gorgeous sequence in which the prayers of people of various faiths mix as countermelodies and harmonies.
Besides the authors weaving a few habjabs and prejudices into their story about our better natures, you can expect some of the engaging musical numbers to be threaded around things like: Idling on a tarmac; stocking up on toilet paper, tooth brushes, diapers and tampons at the local “Shoppers,” and wearing strangers’ donated clothing when your own is stuck in the hold of a 737. Hummable tunes they may not be, but the music is confident and lively, and the cast is ever-so-pitch-perfect and tightly choreographed.
Some of the best songs, which rely less on Celtic clichés, surface toward the end, including Ms. Garner’s belted eleven o’clock ballad “Me and the Sky,” and the rousing company number “Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere.” It’s a fine send-off to folks we feel we got to know, if only just a little.
NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS & CERRITOS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS PRESENT, COME FROM AWAY, THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY; Book, Music and Lyrics by IRENE SANKOFF and DAVID HEIN; Directed by CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY; Music Director SARAH POOL WILHELM; Music Supervisor IAN EISENDRATH; Musical Staging by KELLY DEVINE; Direction Restaged by DANIEL GOLDSTEIN; Musical Staging Restaged by RICHARD J. HINDS; Orchestrations AUGUST ERIKSMOEN; Arrangements IAN EISENDRATH; Associate Music Supervisor WENDY BOBBIT CAVETT; Music Coordinator JOHN MEZZIO; Scenic Designer BEOWULF BORITT; Costume Designer TONI-LESLIE JAMES; Lighting Designer HOWELL BINKLEY; Sound Designer GARETH OWEN; Associate Lighting Designer RYAN O’GARA; Hair Designer DAVID BRIAN BROWN; Company Manager MACKENZIE DOUGLAS; Production Stage Manager SAM KRONHAUS; Executive Producer MIMI INTAGLIATA.
FEATURING: JOHN ANKER BOW, KATHLEEN CAMERON, RYAAN FARHADI, ADDISON GARNER, RICHARD CHAZ GOMEZ, JORDAN HAYAKAWA, ANDREW HENDRICK, KRISTIN LITZENBERG, TYLER OLSHANSKY-BAILON, ERICH SCHROEDER, HANNAH-KATHRYN WALL, ANDRE WILLIAMS
STANDBYS: NICK BERKE, K. BERNICE, JORDAN DIGGORY, RAYNA HICKMAN, SIERRA NAOMI, JUSTIN PHILLIPS
COME FROM AWAY, Now Playing at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Saturday, November 9th at 8PM and Sunday, November 10th at 2PM and 7:30PM. On Tour across North America. For dates and performances, see: https://ccpa.cerritos.gov/
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
PHOTO CREDITS: MICHAEL GOULDING
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