Come From Away still a smash in return to Toronto
9/11 MUSICAL DRAWS RAVES 13 MONTHS LATER
Since making its Canadian debut in a pre- Broadway run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto some 15 months ago, Come From Away has become a certified Broadway hit. The show’s limited pre- Broadway run broke all kinds of sales records, especially those for original Canadian musicals. Almost immediately after that original production moved to Broadway, Mirvish announced it would mount a second Toronto production, with an all- Canadian cast.
With the show still going strong on Broadway, a recent Grammy Award nomination for the original cast recording, a U. S. touring production planned for next fall and a movie adaptation in the works, Come From Away’s return to Toronto — it opened Sunday, and runs at the Royal Alexandra Theatre until September — marks the latest success in a remarkable year for the show’s creators, Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
Hein and Sankoff are always quick to say that Come From Away isn’t a 9/11 musical, but rather a “9/12 musical.” The show takes place in Gander, Nfld., in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when 38 airplanes from all over the world were diverted to the local airport and the town almost doubled in size as for five days its residents housed and fed 7,000 stranded “plane people” until North American airspace was cleared for flights again.
As evidenced by the ecstatic full house at the Royal Alex Sunday ( as well as the fact that performances are sold out through June), Toronto audiences are eager to welcome Come From Away back to town. The applause started as soon as the lights dimmed, and grew to a roar as the cast ( all Canadian performers in this production) took the stage. In the 13 months since it last graced this theatre’s stage, it seems Come From Away has become a genuine classic.
Christopher Ashley’s Tony Award- winning direction is energetic and effective. At just 100 minutes with no intermission, the show moves along at a good clip, while still making space for the quieter, emotionally resonant moments that make up its heart — and thanks to the commitment and chemistry of the cast, those moments always came across as sincere and moving, never maudlin or cloying.
The performances in this production are terrific across the board, each member of the ensemble slipping between the multiple characters they portray with ease and subtle humour — their transitions such an effective stage trick it’s easy to forget there aren’t twice as many actors on stage. In particular, Lisa Horner (who starred in Hein and Sankoff ’s first show, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding) is empathetic and funny as Beulah, one of Gander’s main community organizers. And Eliza-Jane Scott is striking as Capt. Beverley Bass, whose autobiographical song about becoming the first female commercial airline captain earned cheers from the audience.
Beowulf Boritt’s set is evocative and versatile; with the movement of a few chairs and a well-used in-stage turntable becoming everything from the local Tim’s to the cabin of one of the grounded planes to the Gander Legion hall.
Although the writing occasionally veers into hokey Canadiana — references abound to Tim Hortons and moose — Hein and Sankoff ’s script ultimately earns the emotional payoff of the final tear-jerking moments of separation and reuniting. Their smart focus on the individual true stories of certain characters ties the overarching narrative together in a powerful way.
“Everything you just saw on this stage actually happened,” the recently retired mayor of Gander, Claude Elliott, told the audience Sunday. A major character in the musical — he’s played in this production by George Masswohl, whose warm presence anchors the rest of the excellent ensemble — Elliott and a handful of other Newfoundlanders and “come from aways” joined the cast and creative team for the curtain call, to the roaring appreciation of the crowd.
By the end of the performance, the energy inside the theatre had such warmth and positivity it seemed it had become part of the welcoming enclave of Gander. At a time when the daily news is so reliably dark, the hope and compassion the show offers feels vital, and its message of acceptance and connection over division is one worth taking to heart.
ALTHOUGH THE WRITING OCCASIONALLY VEERS INTO HOKEY CANADIANA — REFERENCES ABOUND TO TIM HORTONS AND MOOSE — HEIN AND SANKOFF’S SCRIPT ULTIMATELY EARNS THE EMOTIONAL PAYOFF OF THE FINAL TEAR-JERKING MOMENTS — ALISON BROVERMAN