Book, Music, and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Review by Dominic Corr
Welcome to The Rock, folks. We have a feeling you might like it here.
It’s common for a musical to generate a sense of community; it’s rare for it to succeed to this level. Crafted with authenticity and musicality, deconstructing the barrier from stage to audience and inviting the entire Edinburgh Playhouse into the goings on at Newfoundland on the day of, and days after, the events of 9/11, when the town of Gander and neighbouring areas had an extra 7,000 residents as flights were re-routed and grounded. The characters we meet on stage, though perhaps more musically inclined, are all based on the genuine residents of the town and those who got off their flights into a new world.
The initial raised eyebrows surrounding a musical which coincides with the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s Come From Away channels the turmoil and emotions of that period and re-frames the narrative a few hundred miles away in Newfoundland to the kindness of strangers, inevitability of humanities empathies and connections. The (deliberate) one-act musical benefits from a wide array of performers working as townsfolk, passengers, and those with fleeting moments to the story, all of whom give their entirety to the show, not only physically but emotionally.
A magnificent subversion of the celebratory attitudes of heroics is nullified – not without paying terrific tribute to those emergency workers involved in the attacks, but here – the chorus is our focus. Our deserving protagonists. From Nicholas Pound’s booming and determined Mayor of Gander, Sara Poyzer’s stiff-lipped captain, Jamal Zulfiqar’s sharp characterisation, and Holly Ann Butler’s more sympathetic and bouncing desire to care for the forgotten animals on the planes, the cast is well-utilised under Christopher Ashley’s direction. Humour has a natural place here, as do pain and happiness. Even love, platonic and romantic. And, of course, trauma and heartbreak. It’s captured by the cast, consisting of nearly twenty, as Come From Away gradually drips the fallout on these people’s lives – hundreds of miles from New York but still impacted by the events. It never shies from the harsher realities either – the treatment of one passenger, an Arabic Chef, or an African family who struggle with English ripple with as much brutality as they do now.
Lyrically, Sankoff and Hein impart much of the storytelling through song to maintain momentum – even when dipping into slower or more sombre song choices. The score is diverse and complex: a gorgeous orchestration from the pair and headed by Phil Cornwell’s conduction of a genuinely sublime band tucked behind the trees of the Newfoundland Forest where strings, keys, and percussive await. All of whom receive the faster and more genuine standing ovation that has been seen for quite some time and richly deserved. Feeding into the next, the soundtrack and scoring design flow well, making the lengthier one-act runtime breeze by in its more nuanced state of character and delivery, with some standout numbers like ‘Stop The World’, ‘Welcome To The Rock’, and ‘Lead Us Out of the Night’ suggesting a near Gaelic folk-rock musical, bridging the Atlantic.
Beowulf Boritt’s evocative set design is a rippling creation, manipulated to be whatever the narrative requires: Newfoundland woodlands, passenger planes, canteens, and Mayoral offices. Often hued with the production’s now trademark blue tones, Howard Binkley’s lighting design is as changing as moods, empathetic and knowing as the audience adjusts themselves in concern, merriment, and appreciation. Visually, though appearing more sparse, Boritt’s set enables the musical direction and choreography to explode into the surroundings for a show that, while keeping you on the edge of your seat, will make you want to get out of it, too.
Come From Away is the kind of musical the world needs. Uplifting and adaptable, the foot-stomping, heart-pumping, and, yes, tear-encouraging production is engrossing and uncynical in a refreshing manner that feels organic and without coercion. Audiences will leave the Edinburgh Playhouse with a smile and just a little bit of a sniffle.
The Kind of Musical We Need
Come From Away runs at The Edinburgh Playhouse until September 21st. Tuesday – Saturday at 19:30pm. Matinee on Wednesday and Saturday at 14:30pm.
Running time – One hour and forty minutes without interval
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Lead editor of Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has written for and contributed to several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The Scotsman, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
