Now playing at Gananoque’s Springer Theatre, the production handles the musical’s broad emotional range with clarity and restraint.
Several production choices in the Playhouse make this familiar iconic Canadian musical accessible to those who have not seen it before. At this performance, the audience responded with frequent laughter and visible emotion.
The musical recounts the events summarized below:
In the five days following September 11, 2001, 7,000 passengers and crew members from 38 diverted aircraft were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland. Against the backdrop of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, residents of Gander and nearby communities provided food, shelter and practical support. The musical centres on that response, combining kindness, humour, music and unexpected fellowship while tracing the lasting bond between the town and the “come from aways.” A cast of 12 plays the numerous residents and travellers.
Director and choreographer Stephanie Graham places the action in a Gander Royal Canadian Legion Hall, an intelligent choice that coincides with the Legion’s centenary. Cast members enter before the performance and acknowledge spectators, establishing the production’s communal atmosphere before the narrative begins.
Nick Blais’s set supplies convincing Legion-hall detail, including flags, chairs, tables and a bar counter. Emilie Trimbee’s lighting supports mood shifts, while the air-traffic-control sequence is staged with visual precision. Dialect coaches Nancy Benjamin, Teo Owang and Robin Hutton help the ensemble maintain vocal consistency across multiple roles.
Keeping the band offstage smartly emphasizes the actors and narrative. Graham sustains an efficient pace without making the production feel hurried, and Joshua D. Reid’s sound design keeps the lyrics intelligible, including in the full-company numbers.
The Playhouse’s production continues the focus on ordinary people – a teacher, police officer, mayor, SPCA worker, bus driver and others -responding to extraordinary and horrific circumstances. Graham’s choreography is ensemble-driven, maintaining momentum while allowing individual stories to register. Graham and Kersey’s clear vision for the twelve-member cast distinguishes the musical’s many characters through economical shifts in voice, posture and rhythm. “The Screech In” is a particularly effective ensemble sequence that draws an enthusiastic response from the audience. ‘The Prayer’s spirituality and serenity radiate lovingly in song and contemplation.
Stuart Dowling gives Mayor Claude a measured gentleness beneath the building pressures of the diverted planes, a school-bus drivers’ strike and town administration. His account of returning home after five sleepless days is wonderfully understated, which still hits with an emotional wallop. Richard Lam brings dry timing to police officer Oz, particularly in the speeding-ticket warning acronym and the two trips to Shoppers Drug Mart with a third by schoolteacher Beulah.
Alison J. Palmer brings warmth to schoolteacher Beulah Davis, and her scenes with Krystle Chance’s Hannah are among the production’s more affecting moments. Chance’s delivery of “I Am Here,” as Hannah tries to reach her missing firefighter son, is controlled and resonant. Robert Ball gives Muhumuza’s fear and uncertainty appropriate weight, especially when a bus driver reassures him and his wife with a simple biblical reference.
Gay couple Kyle Golemba’s Kevin T and Amir Haidar’s Kevin J establish their relationship through brisk comic exchanges before its tensions emerge. Michelle Nash gives SPCA worker Bonnie a clear sense of purpose, while the storyline involving the animals aboard the aircraft balances humour with concern. Jen Fong smartly charts reporter Janice Mosher’s shift from first-day enthusiasm to unease about broadcasting private anguish.
Rob Torr and Denise Oucharek lend believability and credible restraint to the developing and blossoming relationship between Nick and Diane. As Captain Beverley Bass, Sue Dunstan is practical and direct; her performance of “Me and the Sky” builds with guts, bravado, and determination, giving the number’s final turn its intended shock that leaves the audience stunned and subdued for a moment.
The Gananoque staging is one of several recent regional productions of the musical, following runs in Halifax, London and Port Hope. Its emotional effect remains substantial, though the material’s familiarity makes the production’s success depend on disciplined ensemble work rather than novelty.
Graham’s production meets that requirement with a coherent concept, clear storytelling and a cast capable of moving between comedy and grief without overstating either.
In her Director’s Note, Graham cites the real Gander mayor, Claude Elliott, on the musical’s central idea:
“It’s simple. It’s about love and compassion … we should all be able to agree to love one another.”
The Playhouse production expresses that principle most convincingly through its collective discipline. Most importantly, Elliott’s statement reflects an important Roman Catholic teaching in loving our neighbour as ourselves. While it may not have been intended by writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, it’s there. Thank Goodness.
Come from Away remains an effective work, and this staging demonstrates why it continues to attract regional productions. The result is a well-paced, technically assured production that treats the musical’s emotional material with care.
The production was reported sold out at the time of review. Return tickets may potentially be available through the box office.
Running time: approximately one hour and forty minutes with no intermission.
The production runs to November 7 at the Springer Theatre, 185 South Street, Gananoque. For more information: 1000islandsplayhouse.com or call (613) 382-7020
A Thousand Islands Playhouse and Segal Centre co-production
Come from Away
Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Directed and choreographed by Stephanie Graham
Music Direction by Benjamin Kersey
Band: Benjamin Kersey, Michael Broadhead, Sean Donaldson, Gemma Donn, James D. Taylor
Performers: Robert Ball, Krystle Chance, Stuart Dowling, Sue Dunstan, Jen Fong, Kyle Golemba, Amir Haidar, Richard Lam, Michelle Nash, Denise Oucharek, Alison J. Palmer, Rob Torr.
Standby: Rosie Callaghan, Duff MacDonald, Christopher King
