Review: Come From Away

Mary Groom on Whetstone Musical Theatre Group’s performance of a show about the aftermath of 9/11

A group of actors on stage — A scene from Come From Away – (Credit – credit: John M Watson Photography)

Come From Away is a musical based on the true story of what happened on 11th September 2001 when the United States closed its airspace after the 9/11 attacks and 38 passenger jets were ordered to land in Gander, a small town in Newfoundland, Canada.

The locals opened their arms to almost 7000 strangers and fed, clothed and accommodated them for over a week until the planes could fly again.

This is on the surface a heart-warming tale and a much needed reminder of how people can band together in an emergency and help one another, with some rousing musical numbers for the audience to clap along to and lots of humour.

However, there are also more sombre moments, such as when the play touches on the events of 9/11 and a Muslim passenger is treated with suspicion and subjected to a degrading body search.

This particular production, by Whetstone Musical Theatre Group, was a complete delight. Having seen the show in the West End, I thought it really benefited from being performed in a more intimate, immediate space. It was superbly directed by Owain Rose, with every nuance highlighted and brought out. The musical direction of Katie Hainbach showcased the beauty of the music. The simple staging allowed the story to be told effectively and clearly.

This was very much an ensemble piece, with every single cast member giving an excellent performance in a multitude of roles and accents (the Newfoundland accents were particularly impressive). Jon Musker was a jovial Mayor of Gander, also embodying several other local mayors thanks to an array of hats and accessories.

James Clarke and Mark Sampson-Vincent were both funny and moving as a couple (in fact, a couple of Kevins) struggling with the pressure of the unusual circumstances they found themselves in. Emily Kennedy-Neal was an endearing local, trying to make sure that the animal passengers were cared for as well as the human ones (including a pair of Bonobo apes!).

Zoe Mack was an out-of-her-depth reporter, who unluckily had only just started work on that most newsworthy of days. A beautiful believable romance developed between two passengers, Nick and Diane, played by Matt Drage and Emma Pleass. Caroline Patel played Beverley, a pilot stranded along with her passengers.

A particularly touching relationship was built between the characters of Hannah played by Candice Sher and Beulah played by Catherine Raingold, who had the shared experience of sons who worked as firefighters. Raingold is the producer of the show and founded the group in 2015. Many, many other characters were engagingly brought to life by David Berkovitch, Gavin Rodgers, Katie Hainbach, Mickey Polon and Lihi Livne.

The show played to sell-out audiences and, on the night I attended, was received with standing ovations and real appreciation. I can’t wait to see what this group does next – and I definitely recommend booking early!

Come From Away was the latest production from Whetstone Musical Theatre Group, performed at King Alfred Phoenix Theatre, NW11 from 15th-18th July.

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