Come From Away
Hosted by the Guthrie Theater
It is difficult to fathom that this year will commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11, a dark day in the world’s history. For some it is difficult to recall because it brings back memories of sadness, loss, and horror. While simultaneously conjuring thoughts of a time when the world came together. A time where neighbors helped one another, prayed with each other, and sought to find some light in the darkness. Perhaps the best embodiment of that time is reenacted within the 2017 Broadway musical, Come From Away, now being performed at the Guthrie Theater.
Set in a small Newfoundland town, Come From Away tells the incredible story of the people of Gander, who unexpectedly become host of thousands of stranded travelers from around the world after the United States airspace is closed on 9/11. What follows is a heartfelt, equally funny yet heartbreaking, and inspiring story of resilience, generosity, and the exploration of how, even in the darkest of times, we are one global community.
Drawing from countless interviews of the citizens and visitors of Gander, authors Irene Sankoff and David Hein have created a story that interweaves the stories of both those who took in the stranded masses and those who have come to be known as the “Plane People” and “Come From Aways’ aka, the passengers. While their stories are tragic on the outside, what brews underneath is the innate ability of thousands of people to put aside their differences and daily problems to come together and form a new community built on compassion.
As this is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, many theaters across the country have been producing Come From Away and it is no surprise that the Guthrie wanted their chance to share this remarkable story with the Twin Cities audiences. While most productions have seemed to take heavy inspiration from the Broadway production, the Guthrie has taken a semi-different approach to their staging.
Director Kent Nash has worked with his design team to move away from the reliance on a central turntable that serves as the focal point of the piece in most productions. Instead, while still employing its use, he has brought the cast closer to the audience and utilizes the space in a way that seems almost more chaotic, in the best way. Instead of relying on the “aisles” of the planes just rotating, he has taken the seats and spread them around the stage at times. This seeming to mimic the chaos and confusion that was experienced by the Plane People throughout their time both on the planes for hours and hours, and upon debarking in a foreign place with no idea what comes next.
Aside from this change, Nash has skillfully guided his actors to utilize the entire space of the stage. Whether it is having them use the stairs rising from the audience, or positioned on the various levels onstage, he provides the audience a variety of vantage points by which to view the multitude of characters whom inhabit the world. Nash has once again crafted a masterfully built production that pulls no punches when it comes to the emotional depths of the show.
Working hand in hand with Nash’s creative team, they have given him quite a world of beauty and light to play with. Scenic Designer Edward E. Haynes Jr. and lighting designer Rui Rita have created a feast for the eyes through their individual and collaborative work.
Haynes Jr. in particular has seemed to draw from not only the landscape of Newfoundland but incorporated elements that are reminiscent of the North Shore. Seeming to almost seat the audience in the middle of a bronze fireplace ring that one might have at a cabin. One etched and carved with trees and a wilderness landscape which in turn provides Rita’s gorgeous lighting to shine through the cracks and almost illuminate the theater as a whole.
The array of colors that Rita utilizes can only be described as stunning. From the vibrant blues to the striking reds, they live along Haynes Jr.’s set so well that we almost forget that we are in a theater and are instead transported to a new place.
Not to mention the cast that lives within this world that has been created for them to thrive in. Come From Away is not a piece that has a solo standout role. While some may say Beverly Bass is the main character, it should be argued that no one actor stands above the rest. They each have a “main” character that they portray but overall, they are a combination of so many different people, which makes the story even more powerful. It is proof that this isn’t a story about individuals but of our global community as a whole.
Now that is not to say that there are not stand out moments within the show as referenced by the multiple bursts of applause for certain performers which you’ll have to see the show for yourself to figure out who they are and judge for yourself, as the entire cast is sublime. Evidenced as they can draw tears from the audience one moment and have us rolling laughing the next.
Yes, there are moments of sadness throughout the piece, how can there not considering the subject matter but there is a catharsis in the joy that radiates from the story. The best way to sum up what this show strives to represent is a simple line, “Tonight we remember what was lost but we also commemorate what we found”. Come From Away is the perfect production for our current time, proving that even in times of strife, our communities can grow stronger and endure.
