"Come From Away" at the Guthrie Theater

The documusical Come From Away, about the ordinary people of Gander, Newfoundland who showed us the best of humanity when they took in 7000 people diverted to their airport when the US airspace was closed on 9/11, opened on Broadway in 2017 and ran for five years (give or take a pandemic), and then continuously toured up until last year. Then it was released for regional productions, and it immediately became the most produced play in America. It's a story America needs, it's a story America is hungry for. I was fortunate to attend the meet and greet of the cast, crew, and design team at the Guthrie Theater where director Kent Gash talked about his vision for the show (which you can also read about in the program). He said that while Come From Away is about 9/11, it's about so much more than 9/11, it's about our shared humanity, and the power of storytelling to remind us of that. This production succeeds in that, in a big way. I've seen the Broadway/touring production five times, and can almost picture every scene in my mind. It's a thrill to see a fresh new take on the story with new direction, costumes, and staging, that is familiar to the original but with enough tweaks to make it a unique retelling of this story. Come From Away is a brilliantly written piece of music-theater, one that probably stands up to the many different iterations happening all over the country. But this version, at our own Guthrie Theater, lives up to the material and succeeds on so many levels. It's very funny, and thoroughly engaging, and utterly heart-wrenching. If you need your faith in humanity restored, go see Come From Away at the Guthrie Theater this summer.

Come From Away is a documusical, and the smartest thing that creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein did was base it on the actual stories of the Gander residents and plane passengers, interviewed at the 10th anniversary celebration in 2011. There's the inspiring story of American Airlines' first female captain, a woman with a NYC firefighter son she can't get ahold of, a Middle Eastern man unfairly profiled, an SPCA worker determined to get inside the stalled planes and care for the animals on board, a couple finding love, and a couple breaking up. All of them are such beautiful and truly human stories, that everyone can find something to relate to. The musical takes us through those five short days that changed the people of Gander, and the world. From a typical routine Tuesday morning filled with the busyness of everyday life, to hearing the unfathomable news on the radio, to the sudden appearance of 38 planes in an airport that usually sees half a dozen in a day, to the mass donations and volunteering to provide food, shelter, and necessities for 7000 strangers, to the planes finally being cleared to leave on Saturday, and finally to the after effects of the experience on those who left and those left behind. The second smartest thing the creators did was not fall into the usual musical structure of dialogue-song-applause-repeat, rather constructing it as continuous storytelling that flows seamlessly from dialogue to songs and back again. The show is under two hours (no intermission), but it feels like we've been on an epic and emotional journey.*

the cast of Come From Away (photo by Dan Norman)

Director Kent Gash returns to the Guthrie after directing Guys and Dolls in 2019, and while that production was spectacular, I opined that dated classics like this are the not the kind of shows that the Guthrie should be doing (leave them to the comfort food of #TCTheater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, whose fantastically fun production is currently playing). But a regional premiere of a new musical is exactly the kind of show that the Guthrie should be doing, and after hearing him speak at the meet and greet, Kent Gash is exactly the right director for the job, demonstrating a clear understanding of the piece and its larger meaning in this moment, both in his words and what he has put on the stage. He has brought back much of the design team from Guys and Dolls, and/or people he has worked with for years, and that close working relationship is evident in the cohesiveness of the show. Along with choreographer Byron Easley, he has created a dynamic show that spills off the proscenium stage and into the audience, with movement that aids in the storytelling, on an open stage with a step up to a turntable used sparingly and effectively surrounded by trees, with lighting that evokes the surrounding nature and changing time of day. (Scenic design by Edward E. Haynes Jr., lighting design by Rui Rita.)

the cast of Come From Away
(photo by Dan Norman)

Come From Away is a true ensemble piece, with a twelve-person cast who all play multiple roles, typically at least one Gander resident and one plane person, but often more. And this group that is 75% local and 100% fantastic, work and play together so well. Several of the locals are making their Guthrie debuts after doing great work on local stages for years, proving that there is no end to the depth of talent in this town. This show doesn't work without twelve equally strong performers, and they each deserve a mention:

• Evan Balasubramaniam is new to #TCTheater, but so charming as one of the Kevins, the one inspired to make a life change after the crisis puts things in perspective, and also has one of the most emotional and poignant moments as the Middle Eastern man who is racially profiled, reminding us that the worst of times can also bring out the worst of us.
• Kate Beahen is a superstar who has been shining on her hometown stage at Lyric Arts in Anoka for over a decade, as well as other stages around town, and is so deserving of this Guthrie debut. Perhaps she's channeling that newbie energy in the role of reporter Janice, reporting on the tragic events on her first day on the job, funny and awkward.
• Katie Bradley is a familiar face on the Guthrie stage, and brings pathos to the role of the firefighter's mother, scared and uncertain, forging a tentative but long-lasting friendship with a local, played by...
• Jennifer Grimm is most known for her music career, but this born performer has been dabbling in more theater lately, to great effect. She brings warmth and humor to the role of Beulah, in charge of one of the schools-turned-shelters, but we only hear a few glimpses of her gorgeous voice. Do yourself a favor and go see her perform at Crooners or anywhere else you can find her.
• Matthew Hall stepped away from playing Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls at the Chan to make his Guthrie debut here, with an endearing and funny performance as the jaded New Yorker adjusting to life in a small town.
• Jon Andrew Hegge is also taking a break from Guys and Dolls (and kudos to the Chan for accommodating actors in pursuing other opportunities) to return to the Guthrie, playing the affable town constable, with a couple of standout comedic moments as per usual.
• Justin Keyes may not be based here, but we've seen him at the Guthrie a few times before. He plays the other Kevin, the one who makes the most of his time in Gander, and gorgeously sings "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace," one of my favorite moments in the show.
• Jim Lichtscheidl's casting as the charmingly awkward Englishman Nick is the biggest no-brainer choice of the show. No one does charmingly awkward like Jim Lichtsheidl, and I simply couldn't imagine anyone else in this role (and also an air traffic controller), one half of the sweetest romance with...
• Ann Michels is so great as Diane, the Texas woman who improbably falls in love during an international crisis. Her duet with Jim as Nick, "Stop the World," about trying to capture the beauty of the moment before it passes by, is an emotional highlight.
• Eric Morris was in the Guthrie's production of Guys and Dolls, but after more than a decade of work as an actor, director, designer, and theater-owner, this is really his debut in a featured role. In fact he opens the show, and as mayor of Gander (and other towns) is one of our main guides through the story, whom we happily follow.
• Soara-Joye Ross recently played a Fate in Hadestown on Broadway, and is making her #TCTheater debut as pilot Beverley. Her rendition of one of the best songs in the show, "Me and the Sky," is incredible and totally unique. And she's also quite funny as a local who is enamored by... just about everyone.
• Angela Timberman is one of the best actors I've seen at simultaneously cracking me up and bringing tears to my eyes, which she does effortlessly in the role of the SPCA worker who forces her way into the planes to care for the animals, whom she loves as much as her own children.

The cast has mastered the very specific Gander accent, a combination of Canadian and Irish but entirely its own thing, with help from resident dialect coach Keely Wolter. They're dressed in versatile costumes, consisting of a character-specific but somewhat neutral base layer with pieces added to differentiate between characters. 

the cast of Come From Away (photo by Dan Norman)

This great folky Celtic score is played by an eight-piece band, hidden somewhere behind the trees on stage, conducted by music director J. Oconer Navarro, who was also part of the Guys and Dolls team. He plays keyboard and accordion, and leads the band to center stage for the legion hall party scene, and the final curtain call, which is so much fun. I attended the sitzprobe a few weeks ago, which is the first time that the cast sings with the full band. It was such a thrill to watch these musicians at work, and witness the unique instrumentation of this piece (including traditional instruments like Celtic flutes, bodhran, and bouzouki). At a sitzprobe they usually just do the music part of the show, but it's a difficult to separate that out in Come From Away because the dialogue and music are so ingrained, with lots of underscoring, and snippets of songs that morph into dialogue and back again, for continuous musical storytelling. This production includes a few more applause breaks than the original production (which only had two), but I'll allow it because this cast and band deserves it, even if the applause does briefly interrupt the momentum and flow of the storytelling, and extend the runtime to almost two hours.

Come From Away is about so many things. For those of us old enough to remember that Tuesday in September, inconceivably almost 25 years ago, it brings back all of the emotions of that day, and the way we were that week, perhaps the last time this country felt joined as one. It also reminds us that that day changed us, in ways we probably don't even realize. And it's about living in the moment; when the past is gone and the future is uncertain, all we have is the present. Even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on. But most of all this show is about kindness, and community, and recognizing the shared humanity in those we don't know or maybe don't understand. Here in Minneapolis in 2026, we know what it means to show up to help our neighbors, to help strangers living in our community, by donating food, clothing, and supplies, by providing rides and protection on the way to work and school, by bearing witness and blowing whistles. Sometimes it takes the worst of times to bring out the best of ourselves, if we let it, and don't give in to the fear. Come From Away reminds us that no matter who or where we are, we all come from away, and we are all islanders, we are all one.

*Plot summary borrowed from my review of the touring production.