Come From Away

What I'm about to say may be blasphemous, however it needs to be said.  I may have liked Come From Away more than I liked Hamilton.  Scandalous, I know.  But you have no idea just how much I enjoyed this show.  I literally sat in my seat with a big ol' smile the entire 2 hours.  I couldn't get the grin off my face - it was just that good.  

Come From Away is the story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001. Since they were the only airport in the North that was big enough, they took in 38 planes that day when the American airspace was closed.  Gander, a town of only a few thousand, managed to house 7000 people that week.  On such a horrible day, the people of Gander managed to make these people from all over the world feel welcome and accepted.  

The story enough is just so powerful, but to see it in musical form is even better.  The small cast of about 12, managed to slip in and our of parts flawlessly.  Sometimes they played Newfoundlanders and sometimes they played "plane people." And those "plane people" were sometimes from all over the world.  I can't imagine being an actor and keeping those characters straight in my head, but this cast did it beautifully.  The writers managed to make this sweet story so much funnier than I thought it would be.  All of the characters had their own quirks, and the jokes that were slipped in were perfect.  Whoever cast this group of actors deserves some serious credit because there were outstanding!  

Then there was the music which was all provided by a small band on stage - very celtic and very cool.  It reminded me a lot of Once, and I absolutely loved it.  The songs were sometimes sweet, sometimes funny and sometimes sad, but all the time fabulous, and somehow managed to link everyone's story together in big mash-up.  The only thing I kept thinking was "Oh my goodness, I can't wait for this album to come out, because it's going to be awesome!"  

Last but not least, as a nod to Hamilton I suppose, they used a turn-table in their set design too, which I always find super impressive.  Their use of the tiny stage was pretty remarkable. Besides the turn-table, there wasn't much more than some chairs that stood in for bus seats, plane seats, cots, bar stools and at one point, a cliff overlooking a ravene.  But the lighting made all of it work.  I'm a sucker for creative staging and this one of the best I've ever seen - not to give too many secrets and surprises away. 

Basically Come From Away is the full package - it's funny without ever being mean, their message of kindness and helping their fellow man is truly needed right now, the music was fun and fast and super sing along-able, the cast was completely perfect, and lastly the story was one of the best that's ever been written that just happens to be lucky enough to be true. I just loved every bit of it and I can't wait to see it again!!