"Come From Away" Lands Again

Warning: this review contains light spoilers.

Is a story about 9/11 still meaningful to people who weren’t alive when it happened?

Last night, I found the answer was a resounding yes.

The tenth anniversary production of Come From Away runs at the Seattle Rep from November 28 to January 4, with a longer running time than most Rep shows. As a frequent visitor to the Seattle Rep, this was easily the most crowded I’d ever seen it, and for good reason. This beautiful, time-tested script was produced with creative, effective theater tech and incredibly skilled actors, making it one of the best shows I have seen at this theater.

Come From Away tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland, after 9/11, when hundreds of visitors emergency-landed on the small island and the most compassionate parts of humanity were found. There isn’t one easily-explainable storyline, instead it’s a beautiful ensemble piece where we hear from dozens of different characters. Love bloomed and died, friendships were formed, and people were accepted and scorned in the face of fear. The ensemble cast portrayed brilliant character sketches, making a mosaic of the human reaction to dark times. The humor is well-placed, charming, and deeply needed to balance out the heaviness of the premise. Without ignoring the grief, fear, and potential to lash out, the script emphasizes the human capacity to come together and help others. The people of Newfoundland accept strangers with open arms and turn a terrifying moment into an inspiring one. This human compassion is what makes the story still relevant today, even to someone who wasn’t alive during the events. Despair and fear are timeless, but Come From Away reminds us that generosity is just as enduring.

In keeping with the ensemble focus, the music is almost all ensemble pieces, with all or most of the characters singing at once interspersed with evenly distributed solo lines. This can get stale after an hour or so. The setting is similarly static. While the characters find new emotions and themes to explore, and many are dynamically changed by their experiences, the constant waiting to leave the island eventually makes the viewer impatient as well. However, these problems feel minor in the face of the characters’ strength and the emotional resonance in the script.

A highlight of the show was the decision to have actors playing instruments. While the backing band lines the perimeter of the stage, actors play drums, guitars, and even pianos. This unique choice is not explicitly part of the characters or plot, but it is seamlessly incorporated. In some cases, putting the instruments front and center even elevates the story. In one scene, for example, two characters are realizing their romantic feelings for each other in a duet. Near the end of the number, they sing together and start playing a guitar together, with one character strumming and the other fretting. In that moment, the instrument is part of the characters’ evolution and feelings. In a medium where the emotional power of the vocal performances and lyrics often takes the spotlight, putting focus on the instrumentals in a musical highlights their power and potential to be part of the storytelling.

What really sold me on this production was the incredible acting. Each actor portrays multiple roles yet makes each character feel real and distinct. It was done so well that at points, I didn’t even know how many actors were on stage. There wasn’t a moment when I had to convince myself that an actor had changed roles; it was obvious they were a new person. An actress playing both a visiting Rabbi and an animal-loving Newfoundlander, for example, seemed to completely transform with slight shifts to her costume, posture, and voice. Juggling multiple emotional stories and doing so in a way that makes the characters feel distinct and believable is no easy feat. Andrew Mayer particularly stood out to me for playing Kevin J. and Ali. Both of these characters experience very different and strong emotional journeys, and Mayer played them both with honesty and impact.

The staging and light design are done creatively and effectively. Despite being stuck on one island, the designers have the challenge of portraying almost the entirety of it: backyards, the insides of planes, churches, cafes, and more. This is mostly done with a few well-placed theater tricks: dimming or spotlighting one part of the stage, rearranging simple props like chairs or blankets, and simply stating where we are in the script. Probably most cleverly, however, are the dozens of small blue lights that have been installed on the stage. When they light up, they imitate the cabin lights of an airplane, simply and creatively taking the audience inside an aircraft.

A beautiful script, talented actors, and an effective design and creative team have made Seattle Rep’s Come From Away a meaningful and delightful experience. I have been told by people older than me that part of what makes Come From Away so moving is how it can connect with the audience’s personal experiences with 9/11, but this revival shows us that it’s the heart in Come From Away that makes it good, not the literal relatability. Like the musical itself, whatever stage of life you are at, you will be welcomed to the story.

Lead photo courtesy of Seattle Rep.

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