At one point in Come From Away, a citizen of Gander cites a Bible verse from Philippians that begins “Do not be anxious about anything.” If you’ve spent the better part of the last half-decade or so feeling anxious about everything, then this show might provide some balm, at least for a night.
Gander (population 11,000 or so) is the spot on the rocky Canadian island of Newfoundland where 38 planes were grounded in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, leaving nearly 7,000 passengers from around the globe—and several animals in cargo, including a pregnant bonobo—stranded and confused. The town rallied to provide shelter and solace for them during the week when no planes could fly. Created by Irene Sankoff and David Hein out of interviews with Gander residents and their emergency guests, the musical, which got its New York debut five years ago and is now in a touring production making its own short visit with Broadway in Chicago (it was also here in 2019), is a quiet marvel of compassion and consolation.
Come From Away
Through 3/6: Tue 7:30 PM, Wed 2 and 7:30 PM, Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Cadillac Palace, 151 W. Randolph, 800-775-2000, broadwayinchicago.com, $31.50-$187.
It’s not all bromides about Our Common Humanity Overcoming Our Differences; a Muslim passenger is subjected to a humiliating strip-search before being allowed to finally board a plane out of Gander. The underlying tragic reason for the passengers being there is never far from anyone’s mind, even as they try to find quiet rooms for prayer. (A song called simply “Prayer” combines Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Christian devotions with aching and unfussy emotional resonance.)
But the show’s mission is to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive—those small moments of kindness and camaraderie that humans can sometimes do so well, at least in the short term. The Ganderites (Ganderians?) clean out the shelves at Walmart, open the doors of their homes and schools and churches, and introduce their guests to the secret rituals—drinking shots of Screech, which is apparently the Newfoundland equivalent of Malört; kissing a stuffed cod—necessary to become an honorary citizen.
A gay couple (Nick Duckart and Jeremy Woodard)—both named Kevin—find themselves welcome in a bar, even as their relationship shows strains. Black American Bob (Chicago’s own James Earl Jones II), sent on a quest by his host to round up outdoor grills in the neighborhood for a group cookout, fully expects to be shot, but is pleasantly surprised when the Canadians, who apparently don’t embrace Stand Your Ground license-to-kill laws, gladly donate their Webers. English passenger Nick (Chamblee Ferguson) and Diane from Dallas (Christine Toy Johnson) develop a nascent romance. Beulah (Julie Johnson), a teacher at the school where many of the stranded are staying, forms a bond with Hannah (Danielle K. Thomas), who cannot get in touch with her firefighter son in New York. And Beverley (Marika Aubrey), who fought institutional sexism to become a jet pilot (described in the power anthem “Me and the Sky”), mourns the loss of a friend who was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
All of this unfolds in a swift 100 minutes under Christopher Ashley’s direction, with the dozen actors shifting gears in multiple roles while still fleshing out each character without resorting to broad caricature. The eight-person band under conductor Cameron Moncur makes you feel like you’ve walked into a ceilidh at a roadside bar, with fiddle, bodhran, and Irish flute adding folk twists to the pop-rock score.
Watching the show made me think of the Sigrid Ellis quote that’s been making the rounds again lately: “Americans are really good at acute compassion, but pretty bad at chronic empathy.” Of course the good people of Gander are Canadian, not U.S. citizens. But Come From Away suggests not only how well we can stand up for each other in a crisis if we put our minds to it; it also makes us wonder why we can’t care that much for each other in the long haul. Still, in these dark days, a heartfelt, warm, and witty paean to our better angels feels like the home we need.
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