Uplifting, captivating, incredible – we could go on, or we could put it very simply, we absolutely loved the New Theatre’s latest offering Come from Away.
This production is your 2024 must-see and you can catch-it in Oxford until Saturday, as part of its UK tour.
The cast were fabulous – each playing multiple characters, seamlessly switching between different personalities to bring this story to life. There was no interval, just 100 minutes of captivating storytelling. To say they deserved their standing ovation is an understatement, and it looked like every person in that theatre agreed.
Come from Away is the true story of the residents of a small Canadian town called Gander in Newfoundland. To set the scene, the town of Gander has a population of around 9,000 people, the airport gets half a dozen flights a day and it takes several days by bus and boat to get to the American border.
But on September 11, 2001, more than 6,500 stranded passengers (38 planes) and 19 animals were diverted to Gander after the USA closed its air space. We watched as this community rose to the challenge – opening their homes, businesses and hearts to total strangers; showing the best of humanity in the face of the worst of humanity.
Many of us can remember watching in horror as the events of 9/11 unfolded – our focus was on the hijacked planes and the Twin Towers. Come From Away takes a unique look at the atrocity from the perspective of the plane passengers who were suddenly grounded thousands of miles from their destinations and homes.
Mobile phones were not readily available and people were stuck on the planes for up to 28 hours, so they didn’t know what had happened until they got off and into the temporary shelters.
But this wasn’t a story that dwelled on the atrocity, it was the uplifting tale of a community that rallied around thousands of strangers offering friendship, love and laughter over five extraordinary days.
What makes this production so special is the many inspirational true stories – the reporter who had started her first local TV role that day who later got a call from Oprah; the couple who met on the plane, later married and honeymooned in Gander; the tradition of becoming honorary Newfoundlanders (we can confirm it involves kissing a Cod); and the mother whose firefighter son was missing in the Twin Towers.
It also touched on the reality of the aftermath of the attack, the Muslim passengers who were suddenly treated with suspicion; but ultimately how that awful event changed everyone.
You can see this show at Oxford’s New Theatre until Saturday, for more information and tickets view https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/come-from-away/new-theatre-oxford/
Duration: Tue 23th Apr – Sat 27th Apr 2024
Come from Away Play
Winner of four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical in London and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway, this smash hit show shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11, and the small Newfoundland community that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives with open hearts.
