Come From Away – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Review
COME FROM AWAY – 11 – 22 June 2024
Find out more about the Cast and Crew here.
The world changed on the 11th of September, 2001 when terrorists hijacked a number of planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York. One repercussion of these events was that for a short time, all planes were ordered to land at their nearest airport. Airplane travel ceased for several days while politicians decided what to do next. The small town of Gander, Newfoundland had some 38 planes and 7,000 air passengers unexpectedly arrive at their door. This musical reports the events of their time spent in the town!
If the story sounds quaint and low-key, you’re correct. While major events took place in other parts of the globe, we get to see how a band of normal people dropped what they were doing and helped look after thousands of unexpected visitors. We also see the lives of the people on board the plane who arrived in a state of stress and agitation, fearing for the well-being of their loved ones.
The events in Gander inspired Irene Sankoff and David Hein to write this piece. Many of the characters in the play are based on real-life individuals, as the writers visited the town on the 10th anniversary of September 11th. The musical made its debut in San Diego, California in 2015. Irish readers may remember its run at the Abbey in 2018. This touring production is ‘direct from the West End’ and is currently touring the UK and Ireland.
There are 12 cast members in this production, with a good cross-section of society. The actors play multiple parts with subtle changes to costumes indicating the different roles. The piece is an interesting insight into the lives of the various characters. There is also a focus on two couples, one a gay couple (both called Kevin) from L.A. and a new romance between a straight couple thrown together under unusual circumstances.
The music is a key component of the piece, with a 10-piece band on stage throughout (although slightly out of view). There are accordions, flutes, uilleann pipes, fiddle and violin to give a distinct folk vibe to the music. The result is an unusual musical blend somewhere between folk and a typical Broadway show. The pace of the production is frenetic from the start. Despite the various ages of the cast, there seems to be a boundless store of energy on stage. It’s a play that requires you to leave your cynicism at the door and enjoy the optimism of the individuals from a small town called Gander.
Categories: Header, Theatre, Theatre Review
No More Workhorse 
I attended this fantastic show on Fri with some friends. I was looking forward very much to it and was not at all disappointed. It got my full attention right from the start and it was possible to know everything they were saying or singing. The most amazing feat is how these actors discreetly slipped from their roles from ‘Ganderers’ to ‘travellers’. It was done extraordinarily well. Congratulations to them and the producers. The little story lines were both emotion filled and entertaining. But the camaraderie developed between these two groups of people thrown together in tragic but unusual circumstances is my take away point; the care and love shown to strangers and how these jet setters took a step back to reflect on their lives. It was amazing that this show was produced and presented on the one setting with few props and could discretely change from one group to the other through lighting effects, clothing and moving the props. The musicians enhanced the whole show and their performance on stage at the end was hugely uplifting. I would totally recommend it to anyone who would like a great night’s entertainment and come to come away uplifted.