Come From Away

Come From Away, received with a sweeping standing ovation on Opening Night in Perth, is the strongest touring production to grace Perth in many years. On September 11, 2001, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers on board, were stranded in a remote Newfoundland town, population 10,000. The people of Gander opened their schools, churches, homes, and hearts for the “Plane People”. Come From Away is their story.

Simply but impeccably staged on a single set, with the Celtic influenced band on stage, a variety of locations are represented with just the aid of a dozen mismatched chairs and a couple of tables, the strong twelve-member cast playing a plethora of locals and many people from the planes - a representation of the people from a hundred counties unexpectedly temporarily in Gander.

Based on true stories collected at a tenth anniversary gathering, we follow multiple converging stories including pilot Beverly Bass, the unexpected meeting of a Texan woman and British man, American gay couple Kevin and Kevin and the ordeal faced by an Egyptian traveller. We meet locals including the Mayor, a School Bus Driver, teachers and SCPA worker - often amalgams of real people, but nevertheless fascinating and true to life characters.

The cast perform with outstanding cohesion, a mature group of actors who move as if one. Zoe Gertz as Beverly and others is captivating to watch, while Sarah Nairne’s performance as Hannah, trying to get in contact with her son, a New York firefighter, is beautiful and heartbreaking. The burgeoning relationship between Manon Gunderson-Briggs’ Diane and Phillip Lowe’s Nick is impeccably drawn, as is the precarious relationship between Douglas Hansell’s Kevin T and Jeremy Carver James swinging in as Kevin J. Kyle Brown plays New York sceptic Bob, with lovely cynicism, then breaks hearts as an African national afraid of the militaristic looking Salvation Army.

Kaya Byrne swung brilliantly into the role of Police Officer Oz, Kat Harrison is lovely as Bonnie, defying orders to care for stranded animals. Emma Powell’s teacher Beulah is a joy to watch - with wonderful depth, with David Silvestri excellent as local mayor Claude - and other roles.

Singing throughout is outstanding, with a unique musical style that is rarely heard in musicals - and the stage movement in this show (staged by Kelly Devine and maintained by resident director and choreographer, Michael Ralph), should be a lesson for all theatre practitioners.

Despite the short run in Perth, I will be returning to watch this again. An outstanding production that exceeds all expectations.

Kimberley Shaw

Photographer: Jeff Busby