Come From Away

The Show

A principle of theatre success is ‘always leave the audience wanting more’. With this show, the 70-year old IDOLS took the maxim to its extreme. Sadly, Come From Away was this ambitious society’s final production. But at least they’ll know they ended on a high.

Come From Away is the story of the diversion of flights in US airspace during the tragic events of 11th September 2001. The planes, with almost 7000 passengers & crew, made unscheduled landings at Gander airfield in Newfoundland, and that town’s small community faced the challenge of welcoming the large number of visitors.

I doubt if there is a better example of a moving yet entertaining stage presentation of a desperately serious world event.

 

Staging, Orchestration & Choreography

The staging for this production was simple but effective. It provided the setting for the plane, the buses ferrying passengers, and various locations in the town; scenes being depicted by skilful movement of a dozen chairs and a couple of tables, sensitive lighting, and the acting of the 12-strong cast, each playing several roles with minimal costume changes.  Congratulations to Company Stage Manager Carl Pearce and the theatre, lighting and sound teams for providing such a convincing stage environment to portray this engaging story.

The music is continuous. Sensitively provided by an 8-piece band, led by experienced Musical Director Kate Bale, it supports the story’s action and the numerous individual and ensemble songs throughout. Like the actors, the band and Kate herself get no chance to relax; drama and music continuing without a break for the two hours of this single-act performance.

A pleasing feature of the production was dance, particularly in ensemble numbers ‘Welcome to the Rock’ (I am an Islander) and ‘Screech In’ (You’ll be a Newfoundlander), involving everyone and nicely choreographed by Danielle Sanders.

The cast

The cast were on stage almost continuously. In most cases character changes were achieved simply by adding or replacing hats,  jackets, glasses, making transitions clear with subtle dramatic portrayals.

There’s no leading character in this production. The show is the star. But to maintain the sensitivity, even the humour, underlying the serious subject requires sensitive dramatic presentation from the players. It’s greatly to their credit, and skilful direction, that this was achieved without exception.

In the absence of any other basis for mentioning individual performances, they’re referred to here roughly in the orders they appear in the informative programme. In most cases mentioned in their main roles, though everyone changed character several times, all playing local townsfolk and occupants of the grounded planes.

Experienced performer Sarah Barton-Wales was airline pilot Beverley Bass, based on a real-life character and pioneer of US female commercial airline pilots. Sarah played the role with accomplished authority, and her song Me and The Sky was dramatically and strongly performed.

Vaughan Barton-Ashcroft played both the Gander-based union official persuaded to bring bus drivers back to work to transport the unexpected visitors, and ‘Kevin T’ who, in his partnership with ‘Kevin J’ finds their relationship accepted in the community, though ultimately strained to separation by their personal tensions. Dan Brewer (‘Kevin J’) is equally effective as the partner who realises the changes in their relationship and voices his resentment.

Both Vaughan and Dan featured (Dan as a religiously devout Ali) in the beautiful ensemble number Prayer, which begins with Vaughan’s strong singing of Make Me a Channel of Your Peace and includes Ali’s Muslim devotion on his prayer-mat and a moving chant from the Rabbi, David Jackson. David also provided an amusingly memorable performance as an excitable and energetic representative of Gander’s small police force.

Carissma Griffiths, as Hannah, gave us the show’s single most moving experience, when she revealed that the long-awaited news of her son, a New York firefighter, is the information she dreaded. The total silence on stage and throughout the audience was stretched to dramatic perfection and provided a memorable theatre moment.

Liz Kavanagh’s main role was that of Bonnie Harris, a Gander resident with a particular interest in the welfare of the varied animals on board the planes, comedically demanding the assistance of a sceptical air-traffic controller husband (Norman Buckby). In his other and contrasting role, Norman played the shy & introvert English passenger Nick Marson who finds love with fellow passenger, divorcee Diane (Cathy Robinson). Their developing relationship, and Nick’s overcoming of his natural reticence to allow his friendship with Diane to develop, is one of the key themes inside the major story, sensitively portrayed by Cathy & Norman.

The key part of Claude Elliott, Mayor of Gander, frantically coping with the massive disruption to his community, was played with believable frustration by Andy Marmoy. His efforts to keep the community informed involved attempts to control local news reporter Janice, acted with enthusiastic energy by newcomer Lutricia Russell. Lutricia’s consistently expressive and engaging performance was one of the production’s delights.

A larger-than-life presence in the role of American arrival Bob (experienced local performer Joshua Taylor-Williams) provided in his main role enjoyable light comedy, particularly in his fear of being shot as a thief when touring the area ‘requisitioning’ barbecues to supplement the community cooking equipment.

Local performer and regular stalwart of IDOLS productions Clare Snow brought her considerable experience and strong vocals to good effect in the central role of Beaulah Davis, the Newfoundlander who makes it her business to welcome the strangers, and to overcome inconvenience. Clare showed sensitivity in her scenes with the worried or confused visitors, determination in dealing with some of the reluctant locals, and comedy as a claustrophobic passenger.

The direction

While having a small cast, Come From Away isn’t a small show. The cast movement, the variety of characters, the clever use of stage furniture, and the task of presenting an entertainment in the context of a world-changing tragedy, would challenge any Director. Thankfully, Ian Phillips’ experience as a Director (ably assisted in this production by daughter Grace), as an MD, and for several years the force behind IDOLS, gave this production a reliable pair of hands.

As already mentioned, this excellent production is the final offering from one of Leicester’s foremost musical theatre groups. No doubt the society had good reasons for the decision, even with its record of success over 70 years from its beginnings in the outpatient department of Leicester’s Royal Infirmary. But for musical theatre in Leicester, it is a loss.

Thank you, IDOLS, for 70 years of entertainment.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.