Review: COME FROM AWAY, Phoenix Theatre
Having (re)opened on 22 July, Come From Away has been welcoming Islanders back to "The Rock" for over two months now. And with this emotional production, it will surely be continuing for many years and extensions to come.
It's the story not enough people know, of the 38 planes in American airspace that were diverted to a small town named Gander after the horrific 9/11 attacks. The population went from 9,000 to 17,000 and every person played their part in welcoming complete strangers and making sure they were ok. The most astonishing aspect of this production is that it's all true. The character’s names, the things they said and did, the relationships formed are all real, and taken from direct interviews with writers Irene Sankoff and David Heine.
From Nick and Diane, who meet for the first time on their plane and fall in love, to Hannah and Beulah who throughout the week is unable to reach her son in New York over the phone. The remarkable efforts of Bonnie Harris to save all the animals on the planes, including two rare chimpanzees, one of whom is pregnant!
A true ensemble piece of theatre, the story is told with just 12 actors, a band, and simply chairs and tables, leaving it down to the actors to hold our attention for a one act (1hr 40min) performance. And do they? Of course they do! It is due to each individual actor's strength in performance that not one performer stands out in the cast, everyone gets an equal amount to say and do, playing multiple characters across the show if need be, with a different accent or item of clothing.
Although no one actor stands out, moments do, and have taken on, like many shows and moments in the theatre, much more meaning over the last 18 months. Seeing the pure, unfiltered joy of ‘Screech In’ on stage is a true blessing. We found ourselves getting emotional just seeing this brilliant cast dance and sing with such passion and energy. And of course, need we say more than ‘Me And The Sky’, an epic song sung brilliantly by Alice Fearn about the inspiring life of real pilot Beverly Bass.
This, married with the excellently balanced book, the show navigates emotions from deeply tragic and emotional to heartfelt and at times, truly funny. The audience is taken on a journey that ensures they will not be the same person they were when they took their seats.
It was also, very recently, the 20th anniversary of the event that inspired the show, and we feel that has to be acknowledged; it is incredible to think how something so terrible led to something so beautiful. One of the biggest acts of kindness the world has ever seen. And, in what can be such a cynical world right now, it's so refreshing to see people being kind. Not being kind to get something out of it, just simply being kind.
We cannot recommend this show enough, Besties. And not only is it playing at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End right now but a pro-shot of the Broadway production is now available on Apple TV+.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Callum Wallace
Come From Away is currently booking at the Phoenix Theatre until 12 February 2022, with tickets available here.
