Come From Away
Dec. 9th, 2022 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustI was meant to see Come From Away in 2020. It was coming to the State Theatre in Sydney, after a successful run in Melbourne. I was intrigued by the premise, I'd heard good things about it, and I was excited to get to see it.
It didn't make it to the State Theatre in 2020. A lot of things didn't happen that year. A lot of other things did.
Then it came to the Capitol Theatre in 2021. And so did the omicron wave.
Then it reopened at the Theatre Royal in 2022. And finally, a few weeks ago, I got to see it at last.
Come From Away is a musical, inspired by the true story of a small town called Gander in Newfoundland, right after 9/11, when 38 planes with 7000 people were suddenly diverted there. It's about a community coming together, and the friendships that formed, and hope in a dark time.
The musical was exactly what I hoped it would be. I saw a great comment that sums it up: "For me it's about how it sets out to do a very specific thing - show the intensity and chaos of those few days - and nails the brief 100%."
It was cathartic.
One of the best decisions is to run the musical all in one act, unbroken by intermission, to better convey that intensity and chaos. Twelve performers switch between multiple roles, playing the parts of both the locals and the visitors. It's an ensemble show, following several intertwining stories, illuminating the different experiences of different people.
The songs were catchy and memorable. Highlights included the fiercely defiant "Welcome to the Rock", the achingly poignant "I Am Here", the showstopper "Me and the Sky", and the haunting and reflective "Something's Missing".
It was kind of weird watching it on the other side of a pandemic. (Not literally on the other side, since we're still in it, but you know what I mean.) Just extra layers of resonance: the sense of ordinary life before, everything changing suddenly, and the way we all have to find our way through that moment. But maybe it's just the same kind of thing repeating over and over in human history - times of crisis, and how we feel, and how we respond.
And how sometimes we need to express that shared experience: to say, you are here, and you are not alone.
A live recording of the Broadway stage production is available on Apple TV+.
It didn't make it to the State Theatre in 2020. A lot of things didn't happen that year. A lot of other things did.
Then it came to the Capitol Theatre in 2021. And so did the omicron wave.
Then it reopened at the Theatre Royal in 2022. And finally, a few weeks ago, I got to see it at last.
Come From Away is a musical, inspired by the true story of a small town called Gander in Newfoundland, right after 9/11, when 38 planes with 7000 people were suddenly diverted there. It's about a community coming together, and the friendships that formed, and hope in a dark time.
The musical was exactly what I hoped it would be. I saw a great comment that sums it up: "For me it's about how it sets out to do a very specific thing - show the intensity and chaos of those few days - and nails the brief 100%."
It was cathartic.
One of the best decisions is to run the musical all in one act, unbroken by intermission, to better convey that intensity and chaos. Twelve performers switch between multiple roles, playing the parts of both the locals and the visitors. It's an ensemble show, following several intertwining stories, illuminating the different experiences of different people.
The songs were catchy and memorable. Highlights included the fiercely defiant "Welcome to the Rock", the achingly poignant "I Am Here", the showstopper "Me and the Sky", and the haunting and reflective "Something's Missing".
It was kind of weird watching it on the other side of a pandemic. (Not literally on the other side, since we're still in it, but you know what I mean.) Just extra layers of resonance: the sense of ordinary life before, everything changing suddenly, and the way we all have to find our way through that moment. But maybe it's just the same kind of thing repeating over and over in human history - times of crisis, and how we feel, and how we respond.
And how sometimes we need to express that shared experience: to say, you are here, and you are not alone.
A live recording of the Broadway stage production is available on Apple TV+.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-09 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-18 12:27 pm (UTC)It would be interesting to know how non English speakers experienced those events. The musical touched on it just briefly, with the language barrier at the end of the bus journey, but it didn't really explore things beyond that one incident.