Review: ‘Come From Away’ reminds us that good can rise from adversity

“Come From Away” now playing at the Paper Mill Playhouse is a feel-good musical that will leave you with a full heart. In these times of intense division and discord, this show is a salve for the soul.

Based on a true story, “Come From Away,” directed and choreographed by Richard J. Hinds, is filled with examples of goodness and kindness, ironically born from evil and tragedy.

Immediately after the planes struck their targets on Sept. 11, 2001, United States airspace was closed and all the planes in the air had to be rerouted. An airport in Gander, Newfoundland, was ordered to receive 38 airplanes carrying approximately 7,000 passengers – which nearly doubled the population of Gander. The passengers were stranded there until Sept. 15 when the airspace reopened.

“Come From Away” with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein tells the uplifting story of how the everyday people of Gander rose to the occasion and took care of what they called “the plane people.”

According to the authors Sankoff and Hein, who went to Gander on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and spent almost a month interviewing people, all of the events in the show are based on events that actually happened. Although the characters in the show do not necessarily portray individual people, they are a blend of real stories of the actual people who were in Gander during this incident. The show Sankoff and Hein went on to create, “Come From Away,” ran on Broadway from 2017 to 2022 and was nominated for seven Tony awards, winning for Best Direction of a Musical.

The twelve actors in this show, Jeannette Bayardelle, Andréa Burns, John El-Jor, Nick Gaswirth, Lisa Howard, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Kent M. Lewis, James Moye, Jason Tyler Smith, David Socolar, Erica Spyres and Rema Webb, play more than one role and are multi-talented – not only in singing, dancing and acting – but in this reimagined version of “Come From Away” they all play instruments on stage as well.

After their planes landed, the passengers were not permitted to disembark for many hours, as the United States was trying to determine if there were any more threats. As this was 2001, most people did not yet even have cell phones, and the passengers were not told what had happened. At this point, with no knowledge of the event, and stuck on the planes together, some lighthearted moments occur as the passengers begin to get to know each other – for better or for worse, with alcohol being freely distributed by the flight attendants, helping calm the nerves and adding to the camaraderie.

When the passengers are finally allowed off the planes and ask what happened, the people of Gander set up televisions so the passengers could see for themselves. This was an extremely emotional moment in the show – just seeing the passengers watch, brings back our own memories of the horrors of that time. As they realize what happened, they all begin asking for phones to reach out to their loved ones. The good people of Gander who had set up many phones, realized they had to set up even more.

Besides televisions and phones, the 7,000 people needed food and water, places to sleep, pillows and blankets, diapers and baby food, and everything else humans need. The townspeople, working round-the-clock, found ways to provide everything, cooking mass amounts of food and housing people in various buildings – but also many welcomed strangers into their own homes.

Seeing the relationships that were created and how people stopped their lives for total strangers is entirely heartwarming.

The show follows several different stories, including the connection made between Hannah, the mother of a New York firefighter played by Webb, who desperately tries to get information about her son and Beulah, played by Howard who is the mother of a firefighter in Gander. It is beautiful to see the two complete strangers become so close.

We are also treated to a love story between a woman from Texas played by Burns and a shy man from the United Kingdom played by Lewis, who gradually fall in love – and later we learn they do eventually marry.

We laugh as Johanson, with her excellent comedic timing, plays a brand new reporter for the local television station, nervously covering this really big story. And Bayardelle, playing a pilot, stands out with her gorgeous vocals.

The scenic design by Nate Bertone is multi-level and versatile. At times it is an airplane, at other times it is a coffee shop, and it also functions as several other locations – and it works.

It is visually attractive with suitcases as the background, piled up high. There are also pictures which adorn the walls, which sometimes become windows, outside of which one can see a beautiful blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

The 15 musical numbers in this show are truly fabulous and knowing it is all based on a true story really adds to the emotion you will feel as you watch this joyous show.

We are reminded that even in adverse conditions, the goodness of people can shine through to overcome any situation and people can find solutions to come together – which can leave a long-lasting, positive change in everyone’s lives.

“Come From Away” will be at the Paper Mill Playhouse through March 1. I urge you to go see it. You will be glad you did.