This Broadway production just became available for small theaters, and one of our local ones was able to get the rights. You will probably see this performed all over, as typically happens when a new musical becomes available.
Because ours was one of the first community theater productions, it actually got written up by Broadway World, which is pretty cool.
My wife and I were eager to see this one, because it contained many of Bakersfield’s finest stage voices, and also because I know nearly everyone in the live band. And yes, live band included.
Ovation Theater will be running this one more weekend, so you still have a chance to see it.
Come From Away is based on real-life events. When the FAA shut down all airspace in the United States after 9/11, many aircraft had to land wherever they could. For many inbound to the US, this ended up being Gander, Newfoundland.
Why there? Well, we aviation buffs remember before aircraft had the absurdly long ranges they do today. It used to be that flying from anywhere other than the east coast to Europe required a fueling stop. Gander happens to be fairly close to the Great Circle routes from much of the US to Europe, so it made sense as a stopover.
For a while, Gander was the largest airport in the world, with the infrastructure to handle even the largest aircraft. While longer-range aircraft like the 747 started to reduce the need for Gander in the late 1960s, it remained in common use into the 1990s. Even today, it is a key emergency diversion airport.
On 9/11, Gander suddenly found itself with 38 airliners landing, and a total of nearly 7000 people needing shelter and food. This was a huge undertaking for a small town - anytime a population doubles literally overnight, resources are stretched thin.
Gander and the surrounding towns found a way, and this musical is that story. My understanding is that the individual stories told are based on actual people, and taken from interviews. How much artistic license was taken isn’t clear, but it is understandable that there would be changes both for artistic purposes and to protect the identities of the non-famous people.
Over the course of the play we see a lot of the good - people opening their hearts to strangers - but also the bad - islamophobia and racism. People are complicated, and few are pure good. That said, Gander was a great example of how, in a crisis, most people will come together for the common good. (I cannot recommend enough Rebecca Solnit’s excellent book, A Paradise Built in Hell, for more on this.)
The set is sparse, but flexible. By my count, there were 16 chairs (one for each actor) and four tables. And that’s essentially it. These are rearranged to form everything from a cafe to a bus to an aircraft. It works, too - there is no doubt what is being portrayed at any given time.
The actors mostly cover multiple parts, a way to show the diversity of the travelers from around the world, and also the very Canadian residents of Gander. Because of this, there aren’t really lead parts in the usual sense. Everyone has to contribute, and there are only a handful of longer solos. It is all about the ensemble.
Regular patrons of local Bakersfield theater will recognize most if not all of the names: Bob Anderson, Christian Bradford, Ken Burdick, Adam Cline, Terri Cline, Blake Green, Paige Green, Tevin Joslen, Caley Mayhall, Jennifer Prow, Shawn Rader, Jennifer Resolme, Jake Wattenbarger, Liz B. Williams, Tamara White, and Matt Thompson.
The band also has a lot of the usual suspects: David Collins, Robby Martinez, Braxton Porter, Jay Andrade, Jeff Ardray, Ray Sadolsky, Becky Ingle, and Jeff Ingle. It’s a good group that sounded great.
I really can’t think of anything negative to say about this production. The sound was beautifully balanced, the acting and singing excellent, and the ensemble tight. My wife and I had a great time seeing it.
No comments:
Post a Comment