Come From Away

South Canterbury Drama League

Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

The Playhouse Timaru, July 24-August 8

Review by Heather Harding

 

When your opening night performance receives a standing ovation, you know you’ve got a cracker of a show.

The Drama League’s presentation of Come From Away is just that: a real cracker. It’s everything you’d want from live musical theatre. It is dramatic, funny, clever, emotional and relatable. The acting is entertaining, the singing is powerful and the choreography is sharp. I loved it — and yes, it got a standing ovation on the first night.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show. I’d never heard of it before. The storyline (true-life accounts of 7000 airline passengers being stuck in a small town after the 9/11 terror attacks) seemed an unlikely subject for a musical. But I was hooked from the start. This show impressively combines factual detail, cultural quirks and a multitude of individual accounts to make a cohesive, compelling and very entertaining story.

The cast of just 13 performers does an outstanding job. Each actor portrays several characters, helping reflect the great numbers of people who descended upon Gander, Newfoundland when 9/11 happened, and the organised chaos that ensued. Simple costume additions transition the actors from playing one character to another even as they walk across the stage. Each character and their story is instantly recognisable and relatable. There is delightful character development, and the actors sensitively portray each of the roles they play.

The show has energy and heart from the get-go. Director and choreographer Petrina Chisholm makes the most of a simple set. Her clever choreography and thoughtful direction utilises a few chairs and two tables to great effect. Subtle changes in stance, attitude, accent and costume seamlessly switch actors between their characters. The stage lighting complements and enhances the story.

Musical director Catherine Carr has done a stellar job. This is a cast with musical talent, and the voices and harmonies soar. The songs are demanding and carry important information, often with a lot of words in each line. The cast nailed each piece. The ensemble items were packed with multiple parts and lots of energy. The solos were beautiful, enhancing the characters, the story and the audience’s emotional experience.

Suzan Anderson’s strong voice and presence commanded the stage in her solo Me And The Sky. This is a demanding song, and Suzan sang it with power and authority. Ella Thomas’ sensitive, heart-rending solo I Am Here perfectly suits her lovely, melodic voice and portrayed the anxiety and helplessness many would have felt in that situation. Mark Lowen and Anita Dawson made a very winning couple and their charming duet Stop The World won everyone’s hearts. Luke Robb led a truly beautiful ensemble piece in Prayer with his rich voice and a sensitive performance — possibly my favourite song of the show.

Every actor in this show deserves acclaim. There was no “lead character”, no individual “star of the show”. Each actor had both big and small roles to play, and I could write about each one because each one was important to the story. The actors performed with sensitivity and skill. Their characters were based on real people and that shone through.

This is a show with drama, pathos, humour, conflict and love; lots of love. It celebrates community and heart and engenders hope for humanity and human kindness. It made me feel proud of how small communities can pull together to do great things. And it made me want to visit Newfoundland.

I’m going to book tickets to see the show again.

See you there.