Come from Away is making its first appearance at The Muny and only its third appearance in St. Louis. The enthralling Muny production is a wonderful evening of theater.
The show is based on events that occurred in the wake of 9/11. Because airspace in the United States was closed after the attacks, 38 airliners from Europe were not allowed to proceed to their destinations. Instead, the planes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, a city with a population of about 10,000.
Without warning or time to prepare, Gander had 7,000 new inhabitants—passengers and crewmembers who, in the local idiom, had “come from away.” They had to be housed, fed, and cared for until American airspace reopened. No one knew when that would be.
The strain of doubt and disorientation on the visitors is no match for the resourcefulness and good cheer of the hosts. One compelling incident follows another in a fast moving, powerful story of human decency.
The book is based on interviews conducted at a ten-year reunion of the people who took part in the events. In some cases, characters were combined so more stories could be told. Several composite characters have a first name from one real person and a last name from another.
Canadian husband and wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein worked together on all three elements of the show: book, music, and lyrics. The spellbinding score reflects the Celtic influence on the culture of Newfoundland, which has been called “the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland.” The music is played beautifully by the Muny orchestra under musical director Evan Roider.
In the scenic design by Edward E. Haynes Jr., a huge, multi-level platform rises gradually from the stage floor to high above it. The tiers disappear when the structure is rotated 180 degrees on The Muny’s turntable. Director Seth Sklar-Heyn cleverly uses this set’s flexibility to create the many locations required by the action. Even when the stage is crowded, Rob Denton’s lighting always guides the viewers’ eyes to the right spot.
The acting area is flanked by picturesque views of the Newfoundland countryside comprised of both painted scenery and video. Mike Tutaj’s video design helps localize the action and includes a radar screen and archival footage from Rogers TV. The sound design is by John Shivers & David Patridge. The wigs are by Kelley Jordan.
Gail Baldoni’s costumers are just the thing for performers playing multiple roles. The uniformly excellent cast includes (in alphabetical order):
- Heidi Blickenstaff as Beverley and others
- John Bolton as Nick and others
- Ashley Brown as Diane and others
- Andrea Burns as Bonnie and others
- Trey Deluna as Kevin J. and others
- Alan H. Green as Bob and others
- Adam Heller as Claude and others
- Abigail Isom as Janice and others
- Tamika Lawrence as Hannah and others
- Jason Tam as Kevin T. and others
- Zoe Vonder Haar as Beulah and others
- Jacob Keith Watson as Oz and others
The teen ensemble includes Chloe Jennings, Grant Lamartina, Drew Mathers, Annakait Peters-Bahkou, Jarod Rhodes, Jameson Roam, and Will Schulte. Leah Berry is standby for the all the women. Spencer Davis Milford is the standby for all the men as well as the dance captain.
Come from Away continues through July 2, at The Muny in Forest Park.
—Gerry Kowarsky
Photo by Emily Santel
From the left, the characters played by Ashley Brown, Zoe Vonder Haar, John Bolton, and Adam Heller participate in a local initiation ritual in Come from Away.
