Photos by Luis Escobar ©PCPA
“If you come from everywhere else, you come from away,” says the mayor of Gander, Newfoundland.
Imagine a town of 9,000 suddenly welcoming 7,000 unexpected foreign guests who have arrived overnight via 38 airplanes when airspaces were closed during the 9/11 tragedy.
Come From Away, the Tony-nominated musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein—now in performance at PCPA in Santa Maria and set for Solvang Festival Theater in June—provides a fast-paced, dramatic retelling of the events that brought strangers literally into the homes of the residents of Gander.
This microscopic setting is forced to deal with the world’s macroscopic problems, and the true stories shared in this production bring back the poignancy of the moment.
Many of the “plane people,” worried for their families, were stuck on planes for more than a day while local government officials and businesses did their best to accommodate. The need to shelter, feed people and bus them off the planes was a logistical nightmare. Even care for animals in cargo became serious problems for locals in the midst of a world in chaos.
PCPA’s production begins with live music as six musicians led by music director Paul Marszalkowski set the scene. The upbeat musical numbers include the very uplifting “Screech-In” where stranded passengers have a chance to become honorary Newfoundlanders in a lively pub ritual.
“Kissing the cod” is one of many unforgettable moments brought to life by director Roger DeLaurier and his veteran cast, which includes Kitty Balay, Karole Foreman, Molly Stilliens, Christen Celaya, and Karin Hendricks-Bolen, René Millán, Mike Fiore, Alexander Pimentel, Keenon Hooks, Erik Stein, and Andrew Philpot, as well as PCPA Conservatory students Kelly Brenya, Katie Hughes and Eeshan Kumar.
Jason Bolen’s set design is simple—just chairs and tables—and the cast is flawless at reconfiguring each scene. Klara Wilson’s costume designs allow for quick changes, and we easily follow cast members role-changing, as pilots became villagers and reporters become passengers.
Canadian accents (thanks to dialect coach Joel Goldes) and touches of Newfoundland customs add authenticity and heighten our sense of awareness of the hosts’ kindness and generosity.
Come From Away is a feel-good experience. On opening night, after the standing ovation, the band continued to play and the audience continued to clap. Like the Canadians and the “plane people,” we all felt connected.