Come From Away

As the first company in the area to have been granted amateur performing rights to this show, this was the chance to showcase COS, to set the standard that all others in the South East would have to aspire to – and COS have created something breath-taking, stunning, and outstanding in every sense, setting a sky high bar for others. 

First of all, the show itself is absolutely stunning, beautifully written and incredibly well observed; and how brilliant that COS recognised immediately the rights were available and jumped at the chance to create their version. As a true story, it’s vital to create something that respects all the events described in the show, and this has been treated with the utmost care; more than that, real love. What exudes from the team is the care, respect and love that they have for the show, for the time, for the true stories they are telling and for each other. On stage was such an awareness of space and each other, plus such generosity in performance giving everyone a chance to shine: it truly was inspiring. 

What was gorgeous about this is that there was no fixed set, but the chairs and tables became everything. They became the plane, a bus, inside where they were staying, a bar, two buses at the same time, and a bridge - plus more. This absolutely works, because it’s been so well rehearsed. The cast moved them in synchronicity, it melded and formed a new thing before your very eyes and you knew exactly where you were because it was done so well. The chair choreography or geography, or chairography, was done so well, they almost became another character in the show, but at the same time melt into the background and help to tell the story. The lighting worked beautifully too, a slightly flickering light at the back for a television screen that was then turned off in one scene, different colour states for daytimes and evenings and sections of the stage lit as appropriate. 

The musicians are on the stage which is a fantastic touch, upstage right and left. This show is almost constant music, even when people are speaking. It’s very rarely quiet. So they have to be completely focussed on every single thing that’s occurring. At the end they take their own curtain call playing individual instruments as if it’s been a music concert, which actually works, because they have been seen performing the whole time and they’ve become part of it all. The audience adored this, including being able to see up close for the first time the incredible talents of MD Shaz D who played so fast and so skilled his hand blurred on the keys. Hugest congratulations to him and to all of the orchestra who were incredible. 

What propels this show is the actors and the pace at which they tell the story. It never dips or lulls, the pace is just right. All the actors multirole but such care, attention and focus has been given that you know exactly who everyone is at any one time. Accents change on a hairpin – which is very difficult to do. And most importantly, physicality and presence changes. From nursing mother to the person in charge of the shelter, from bus driver to woman desperately trying to get news of her fire fighter son back home, from a New Foundlander enamoured of a Pilot to a Pilot herself. As an ensemble show it’s difficult to single people out, however, Emma Khan and Cameron Rowell shone especially brightly in their roles. Emma’s voice is absolutely sublime, her solo lead songs were incredibly well performed and an absolute joy to listen to. Her physicality changing between characters and changing accents sometimes mid sentence when it was called for was achieved with incredible skill. Cameron Rowell’s ability to perform two of the most opposite characters on the stage with off the charts characterisation was awe inspiring: his physicality and even the way of holding his head completely changing when he played the Egyptian compared to Kevin. The scene where he talked about being searched was so hard hitting it was almost unbearable – for all the right reasons, and he performed it perfectly. 

There are so many pictures standing out in this show for the audience to take home. A scene where all their faces are lit with hand held torches, the voices that were sublime and soaring from them all including the emotion filled beautiful tones of Safia Roxanna, the care that Claire Aston took of the animals with such heartfelt emotion, and the sweet love story of the American and the Englishman: Jo Williams and Andrew Cornell, including the picture on the bridge where he takes the photo of her instead of the view. So many funny moments too, such as the Moose holding up two buses which was so beautifully timed and choreographed with movement, and the initiation ceremony for honorary New Foundlanders, and the cardiologists were especially hilarious.  

But what set this show apart from all others especially, was the timing. The movement, the modern choreography and movement which was an utter joy to watch, sequences performing in rounds to with no sideways glance to check on other cast members. Seemingly simple choreography but we all know that when it looks simple and easy it has always been anything but, and only appears so because they do it so well. This is some of the best executed choreography and movement seen on an amateur stage. They moved in perfect synchronicity. The timing was impeccable: moving as one, in every single number: it never dipped, it was never less than 100%.  

9/11 or September 11th as we know it in the UK, was a dark time in our world history, and sadly resulted in extreme public views of people of the Islamic faith. Suddenly anyone suspected of Middle Eastern background was viewed with fear, suspicion and sometimes hatred. The scenes depicting how this played out in this particular scenario were created with such sincerity and intensity, not overblown, absolutely faithful to the horrible and terrible experiences that many Muslims faced at that time and since then. Amid such generosity, such capacity for care and humanity, it’s important to tell the whole story, of where this doesn’t occur. This gives the whole show more gravitas, and the Directors completely understood this, taking the audience through the whole gamut of emotions during the show. The audience were often crying with laughter one minute and with sadness or overwhelm the next.  

This is such an intensely moving show, all the more because these are real events, and the story is true. It’s impossible not to be moved, and instantly it ended, everyone was on their feet in rapturous applause. There was not one single weak link in this whole show; the attention to detail in every single sphere was off the charts. COS have presented a show which is, in every way, absolute perfection. Hugest congratulations to the directors, Anika Lefevre and Erin Cornell, and to every single person on the stage, or behind the scenes, or who helped in any way. It’s resulted in something absolutely spectacular, professional, worthy of every superlative for awesome and fantastic in the dictionary. 

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