Come From Away – The happy place we need

Posted by lisathatcher on March 13, 2025 in Articles, Theatre | 3 Comments

Red Tree Theatre 7 – 23 March 2025

You can grab your tickets here.

Images: James Beggs Imaging

If timing is everything in theatre, then this production’s timing is nothing short of astounding. Amidst ongoing tariff wars and strained relations between Canada and the U.S., Come From Away offers a timely reminder of the power of neighbourly compassion.

The musical depicts Gander, Newfoundland, as a beacon of hospitality, welcoming thousands of stranded Americans with open arms after 9/11. Indeed, the small town of Gander, population 9651, welcomed almost 7000 stranded passengers, almost doubling the size of the town overnight.

This stands in stark contrast to the current rhetoric of division, conflict, and anger. By highlighting the deep bonds of friendship and mutual support between the two nations, the musical challenges the current imperial narrative, emphasizing shared humanity over political conflict. This gives Come From Away a poignant relevance it could never have predicted.

This powerful narrative is brought to life through a talented ensemble cast, each playing multiple roles with remarkable versatility. The musical begins with the sudden arrival of these passengers, known as the “come from aways,” and explores how the community comes together to provide shelter, food, and support. Characters like Bonnie Harris and Claude Elliott embody the spirit of Gander, showcasing the town’s generosity and kindness.

Come From Away places these events within a broader historical context, highlighting the global impact of 9/11 and how it tested the bonds of community worldwide. The musical also explores themes of cultural exchange and understanding, as people from different backgrounds come together in a time of crisis. It is no small thing that this Red Tree Theatre production, under the deft direction of Daniel Craig, was the first community theatre to produce this musical.

One of the standout aspects of the production is its ability to balance humour and tragedy, creating a narrative that is both uplifting and poignant. The ensemble’s performances are exceptional, with each actor seamlessly transitioning between characters. Characters fall into two groups: The Townspeople of Gander, and the stranded passengers. The musical focuses on the complexities of caring for those stranded in the small town alongside the funny personal and character moments.

Despite the musicals gentle narrative, innate convolutions in putting the show on include complicated accent changes, and musicianship that includes the learning of new (authentic to the region) musical instruments. It is a challenge to produce Come From Away, one that director Daniel Craig is more than up to with his cadre of actors and musicians.

Peter Gollop plays Claude Elliott, the Mayor of Gander, with a warmth that translates to resourcefulness as soon as the chips are down. His performance embodies the spirit of leadership and community.

Anna Carter is delightful as Beulah Cooper, whose warmth and compassion reach out to all of us from across the stage. Her cheerful character is book ended by Sian Hayes’ performance as Bonnie, a devoted animal lover. Between these two enormous characters, the spirit of the production comes to life.

Offering some comic relief is the excellent Damien Morley as Constable Oz Fudge and Grace Callaghan’s performance as the local media. To see both the police and the media acting with gentle compassion offers an outstanding contrast to the way both professions are perceived in a broader context. In the town of Gander, as these pair have us understand, humanity comes first and forms the framework of how the job is done.

Of the stranded Passengers, Sanica West, who has a beautiful voice plays Beverly Bass, the American Airlines pilot dealing with the large group of confused passengers. The strength and leadership exhibited by her performance gives us a strong understanding of what the various officials experienced trying to keep the situation under control.

Also, with a beautiful voice is Ruth Jordon, as Hannah O’Rourke, a worried mother from New York whose son is a firefighter responding to the attacks at the World Trade Centre. Ruth’s gentle performance keeps the tragedy of narrative alive as it flows through the nuances and explorations of other characters.

Romance, both positive and negative, appears in the budding relationship between Nick and Diane and the conflicted relationship between Kevin and Kevin. Nick and Diane, played beautifully by Mark Calwell and Karen Pendleton, are a delight as they nervously sing their way closer and closer to each other. The two Kevins, wonderfully portrayed by Luca Carter and Brett Perkins, offer us a funny and charming pair of performances, that bring many a giggle to the audience. Khalil Khay is particularly funny as a Bob.

The cast weave and knit themselves around the stage, changing roles, changing accents and perspectives while never losing the audience. It is a super feat of storytelling.

But there is more to this wonderful production than simply a joyful, happy, capable cast that makes you smile all the time. A talented orchestra under the guidance of Kimberly Gilbert, who plays a mean accordion, performs toe tapping songs with infection enthusiasm, while it appears no instrument was too difficult to master for the production itself. With infused Celtic and Irish traditions over cover contemporary theatre sounds, this production becomes as much about the music as it does the singing and performances.

Daniel Craig has more than met the challenge of putting such a complicated musical on at the Red Tree theatre. It is a joy to watch and a genuinely great night at the theatre. This is a must see for those interested in the evolution of theatre on the Central Coast (doesn’t it just get better and better up here?) for those who love wonderful musicals beautifully performed and for those of us who are feeling the pain in the world right now. It is a lovely night of theatre that will remind you who we are when it really matters. Don’t miss it.