Newcity Stage

Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago

“Come From Away” on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of 9/11 Marriott Theatre's beautiful and highly relevant production celebrates the heroic efforts of everyday citizens who welcome and help heal those devastated by national events.

by |

by Noel Schecter
Filed under:
Eight people stand and sit on yellow scaffolding onstage, some wearing safety vests, under dramatic lighting, with dark background and blue spotlight. They look intensely toward the camera.

Marriott Theatre’s “Come From Away”/Photo: Justin Barbin

RECOMMENDED

Of the many heroic acts undertaken in the days following 9/11, perhaps the most generous occurred on a big rock about a thousand miles northeast of New York City. It was in Gander, Newfoundland, where thirty-eight aircrafts were diverted due to the sudden closure of American airspace. This translated to about seven thousand passengers, who left their homes with no idea that they were fated to spend their next few days on the rough edge of the Atlantic. Almost immediately, the tiny town of Gander mobilized in order to feed, house and bathe all these “CFAs”—or “Come From Aways”—which is their term for anyone not native to Newfoundland.

Their generosity was astounding. Basket after basket of tampons, baby food, diapers, canned goods, fresh produce and toilet paper were donated. They canceled school so that they could transform the space into temporary housing. They even canceled hockey (in Canada!) in order to keep all that donated food chilled. Some of the locals even opened up their homes. All of this so that thousands of disoriented and emotionally crushed travelers could feel just a little bit of comfort in a strange land, during even stranger times.

“Come From Away,” the musical with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, mines the true experiences of a dozen or so people living through that character-defining time. There’s the local mayor whose first vital task is to pause a bus strike, as well as an SPCA worker who immediately realizes that there are likely dozens if not hundreds of animals trapped in the cargo holds. Also prominently featured: a seemingly content gay couple afraid that their sexuality might somehow offend the locals; an Egyptian man mercilessly profiled by his fellow travelers; a young African family frightened by the “soldiers” (caring locals dressed in Salvation Army gear who greet them when they get off their plane); the first female captain in American Airlines history; and a formal British man with a possible love interest in a more free-spirited Texan. There’s also one mother desperately awaiting word about her son, a fireman who was not supposed to be at that firehouse that day. Their experiences are all perfectly woven into an engaging, sometimes emotionally devastating, but ultimately feel-good tapestry.

Three people on stage: a man in a uniform, a smiling woman in a red jacket holding a microphone, and a man in a green vest speaking animatedly into the microphone.

Marriott Theatre’s “Come From Away,” with Alex Goodrich, Matt Crowle, Madison Kauffman/Photo: Justin Barbin

This production clearly emphasizes storytelling over spectacle, as director Jessica Fisch makes good use of the stage’s theater-in-the-round orientation to create a highly accessible and immersive experience. She also makes wonderful use of Scott Penner’s minimal set design, which features an inner-revolving stage used sparingly throughout the performance. But it is the cast—a fine-tuned ensemble featuring both local talent as well as a few CFAs—that truly elevates this production. While a few actors, including Lexie Dorsett Sharp, Michael Earvin Martin and Devin DeSantis, are especially impressive in their performances, it is the sum of their parts that excel here, convincingly morphing into a multitude of characters on stage. There is little in the production that does not feel genuine and immediate.

It has been twenty-five years, but that day, despite everything we as a country have since endured, will forever remain to me as the tragic endpoint of our country’s innocence. At the same time, one almost waxes nostalgic for the near universal mourning experienced in the immediate aftermath of the event. It’s something near impossible to achieve in today’s social media saturated world.

I could not help but grieve for our present state, a world where not so long ago red state governors shipped busload after busload of migrants into Chicago so that they, and we, could suffer. Meanwhile our current president, for reasons only he knows, continues to demonize and punish our friendly neighbors to the north—those same neighbors who bent over backwards to us in our time of need. The citizens of Gander surely deserve better. But however dark these current times are, this production is a reminder that we as a nation have suffered through worse. And like every national tragedy that comes to pass, we will get through this too.

“Come From Away” is on stage at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, through October 18.