Why "Come From Away" Is a Musical for the Ages

This week, I finally got the chance to see “Come From Away” on Broadway. The show opened on the Great White Way in March 2017. I originally had tickets for April 2020 but . . . well, you know.

The best writing is able to tell a specific story that also has a timeless and universal message. “Come From Away,” based on the real events of 9/11 when over thirty planes were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland, and the locals came together to welcome over 7,000 passengers to their small town for five days, has all that.

The economy with which the writers (Irene Sankoff and David Hein) tell this story is nothing short of astonishing, and the ability of about 15 actors to portray at least three times that many persons simply by changing their accents and vocal pitch is equally astonishing. It moves along briskly without intermission and we in the audience are not bored for a second.

The director Christopher Ashley (who received the show’s only Tony Award) and Kelly Devine for Musical Staging also deserve praise. With a simple set of just a dozen chairs and a couple of small tables, many situations and scenes are imaginatively rendered and we “see” exactly what is going on. Brilliant!

Surprisingly, this is a musical where the music does not especially stand out. There are no knockout numbers, no easily hummable tunes as you leave the theater. Similarly, the dance routines are fun to watch, but this isn’t “A Chorus Line” or “West Side Story.”

And there is no star, no marquee name. No one stands above another.

That is the point. This is an example of teamwork and cooperation and goodwill, all messages the play is trying to convey.

Although it’s about a specific event, it can serve as a reminder that we can be good people. Don’t we need that after the last few years, even the last few days? Won’t we need that message always?

Against all odds and proofs to the contrary, I remain ever-hopeful for the human species. I tell my college students that if I ever lose hope, that is the time I must quit teaching. I mean, if I can’t offer hope to my students, what else can I offer them?

And, so, that’s what “Come From Away” does for its audience. It is why I don’t think it will ever become dated, because the message of that particular time and place is more powerful than, yes, 9/11 itself.

Seeing this production also reminded me that we need more folks to write more original musicals. I am tired of the jukebox musicals. Yes, I can be inspired by a celebrity’s life story, but those stories don’t move me as much as this one did—regular people doing extraordinary things.

“Come From Away” tells us and shows us that there are no stars. But in extraordinary moments, we can all be stars.

That’s an imaginary tune we can all hum as we walk out of the theater.