Come From Away

Come From Away tells the previously little-known story of what happened to the aircraft destined for New York when 9/11 happened and US airspace was closed. Thirty-eight of those planes were diverted to the tiny town of Gander in Newfoundland which had once been used as a refuelling stop for transatlantic flights but was now redundant. It tells the story of how the townsfolk coped with a sudden influx of people, doubling their population. Relationships are formed and broken; suspicions and prejudices surface and the poignant sadness of loss and uncertainty are punctuated with moments of uproarious comedy – a real roller coaster of emotions that underlines the basic goodness and generosity of ordinary people. All of this has been set to a high-energy Celtic folk/rock score which has you tapping your feet from the start.

The set (Showtime Solutions) was stunning and all it needed was a lot of chairs and some good quality props (Jane Clements and Marina Voak) to complete the picture. Scenes just melted into each other as the cast reconfigured the chairs almost unnoticed to change the setting. Costumes (Marina again) were mostly contemporary and looked exactly right. Hidden away behind the set, MD Louise Helyer’s eight-piece band produced exactly the right, Irish folk sound with the fiddle and whistle nicely prominent.

Director Marina Voak and her creative team must have worked this talented cast so hard to achieve such a slick and stylish production with such high standards of acting singing and movement. Doubling the size of the cast so that there were fewer people doing multiple roles was a good decision. It emphasised the impact of the influx of the plane passengers and the full-chorus numbers sounded magnificent. The standard of singing, both choral and solo was top-notch throughout and accents were well maintained – the Newfoundland accent is a tricky one to reproduce. Sarah Dawkins’ choreography was very precisely executed and looked wonderful whether the cast were sitting down (as on the aircraft) or moving around. It had real energy and excitement, showing the passengers’ frustration at being held up and the exuberance they found enjoying the hospitality of the local people.

For once, I’m not going to mention individuals. This was a true ensemble piece. You all had your role (or roles) to play, and you brought them to life magnificently, extracting every ounce of emotion, frustration and enjoyment from them. Best of all, you all looked like you were having a great time and I’m sure this show will live long in your memories.

Two little niggles I’m afraid. Some badly timed spotlight cues spoilt Ian and Chris Pratt’s immaculate lighting design. Also, some late or missing mic cues and a bit of over amplification of the band spoilt the otherwise good (unusually so for Fareham Live) sound. The cast carried on regardless - so professional – and the problems in no way spoiled our immense enjoyment of the show.

When I first heard that Come From Away had been released for amateurs, I worried that groups would not be able to match the standards set by the professional productions that I’d seen. I should have known better! Fareham Musical Society you more than matched those standards. What a coup it was for you to be the first group in the area to perform it, and you absolutely smashed it! You held the entire audience spellbound throughout the show – no chatter or rustling of sweet packets and a mass sigh at the interval when we realised we’d been holding our breath all the way though. You thoroughly deserved your standing ovation at the end.

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