Come From Away at PTC

I love the musical Come From Away so much and I have yet to make it through a performance without crying. While the tears flowed once again when I saw it at PTC last night, there were elements of the production that I didn't like. U.S. airspace is restricted in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on 9/11 so 38 international flights without enough fuel to return to their city of origin must be diverted to the airport in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. The nearly 7,000 stranded passengers almost double the population of Gander but the ordinary townspeople rise to the extraordinary occasion and willingly do whatever they can to provide transportation (which involves the temporary resolution of a contentious strike by bus drivers), food (which involves the suspension of all hockey games to use the ice rink to refrigerate perishables), clothing, shelter, and comfort. An ensemble cast of fourteen play multiple roles, often with just the addition of an article of clothing or prop, to provide the perspectives of both the townspeople and the so-called plane people. Their interactions will restore your faith in humanity, especially when a local woman named Beulah (Mary Fanning Driggs) comforts a passenger named Hannah (Galyana Castillo) when she cannot locate her firefighter son in NYC and when another local named Annette (Jessica Rush) allows Ali (Nathan Andrew Riley), a Muslim passenger who has come under suspicion, to use the library to pray. I also loved it when Bonnie (Angie Schworer), an SPCA worker, sneaks on a plane to give comfort to the animals abandoned on board, including a pregnant bonobo chimpanzee. Everyone is forever changed by the experience and I was, as always, incredibly moved by the powerful messages about compassion, community, and the indomitable human spirit. I love every song in the show but I particularly enjoyed hearing "Prayer," because it incorporates elements from multiple religions to provide a beautiful message of comfort and it always makes me cry, "Screech In," because it is a hilarious ceremony to become an honorary Newfoundlander involving copious amounts of alcohol and a codfish and it always makes me laugh out loud, and "Something's Missing" because it accurately describes the often jarring return to normal life after an intense experience and it always makes me long for the unity felt right after the attacks (especially with all of the division in the U.S. currently). I was also impressed by the performances because the cast does a great job differentiating between all of the characters. The standout for me was Rush because her rendition of "Me and the Sky" gave me goosebumps. What was missing from this production for me was the nostalgia for my native land that this show usually evokes. I especially disliked the set because it is too cold, sleek, and modern in my opinion. It is devoid of all of the quirky charm found in the original Broadway production and there are no visual references to Canada (where are the neon Tim Horton's and Molson Canadian signs?). Also, I don't know what dialect the townspeople are trying to speak but they didn't sound like any Canadian I know. I appreciate that they did try to say Newfoundland like a local but it didn't sound right to my ears because the emphasis should be on the third syllable rather than the second. I recognize that I might be the only one who cares but this production is so nondescript that it could have taken place anywhere and that really bothered this Canadian expat. Even though I didn't love this particular version, I still highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) because the show itself is definitely worth seeing and it is sure to warm even the most cynical heart. It runs through May 9.