By SHARON EBERSON
Come From Away has a pulse, a percussive edge that tugs mightily at America’s heartstrings, as a dozen performers reenact the kindness and generosity of our neighbors across the northern border, on a day that lives in infamy.
Front Porch Theatricals’ second summer season offering is the first locally produced version of the 2017 Tony Award-nominated musical, with brilliant staging harnessing the chaotic energy and performances that dig deep into individuals whose lives were shaped by he 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the mostly hidden story of what happened next:
Nearly 7,000 passengers on 38 planes, already in the air, were grounded in Newfoundland by the closure of American airspace. The Canadian town of Gander, pop. 9,000, and its neighbors pulled together to provide food, clothes, phones and support to strangers from around the globe.
The performers put their hearts into the very distinct Newfoundland accent — think Pittsburghese, or the Minnesotans of Fargo — and those of characters from Dallas to Egypt. In all, the 12 actors of Come From Away portray 84 distinct characters (by the creators’ account) to tell a tale full of fear and elation, sorrow and hope, and appreciation for a kind word and a cold beer at just the right time.
I brought a friend with me who had never experienced Come From Away and was unaware of the story, based on hundreds of accounts collected by creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
As I gave her a quick preview, she asked, “How do you turn that into a musical?”
Come From Away is how you do it.
It’s amazing what you can do with chairs, tables, and innovative staging and choreography, under the direction of Aaron Galligan-Stierle and Mandie Patsy, the choreographer who also plays tenacious animal advocate Bonnie Harris. The Ganderite went plane to plane — watch for the backdrop’s trap door — to find and care for dogs, cats, and a pregnant bonobo monkey.
A change of character might be as simple as a new head covering or jacket, or a different accent, yet as performed with impeccable timing, it all works.
Brad Smoak, as Oz, the town’s police constable, and a rabbi, among others, showcases the locale’s accent that’s been described as resembling “rural Irish” — the score’s most obvious influence. Smoak also impresses with powerful, rich vocals. Shawn Doremus plays Kevin J, who is “freaking out,” as many of us might under the circumstances, while his even-tempered partner, Kevin T (Victor Aponte, also a Gander resident and others), is willing to go with the flow. Doremus also plays an increasingly ostracized Muslim, who has suddenly become the subject of suspicion, in the aftermath of the attacks.
Perhaps the best known character in the show is American Airlines Captain Beverley Bass, who traveled to Pittsburgh with the touring company in 2019 (the tour returned to the Benedum Center last year). Played by Drew Leigh Williams, her response to losing the thing she loves most in the world — piloting an airplane — is heartbreakingly expressed in “Me and the Sky,” a song of soaring accomplishment and spiraling loss.
The opening, pulsating “Welcome to the Rock,” a full-cast introduction to Gander sets the tone for what is to come. Led by its mayor — gravelly voiced Marc Moritz, as all the old-timers of the show — it’s a town where everyone knows each other’s names, and the waitress in the local coffee shop always has a fresh pot of coffee at the ready. Or in the mayor’s case, a Pepsi.
Among the most touching interactions to come are between Ganderite Beulah (Lisa Ann Goldsmith) and passenger Hannah (Natalie Hatcher), who are both parents of firefighters. Hannah’s son is in New York on that dark day, and she tries desperately to get in touch with him, with Beulah there to comfort her as she waits by the phone.
Williams, Hatcher and Goldsmith are among the casts’ familiar voices of Pittsburgh musical theater, here warming hearts in multiple roles.
Richard McBride as Bob shares the wonder of being a Black man among a sea of white faces, who accept him into their homes with trust and generosity.
One of the telling exchanges about the people of Newfoundland comes as individuals offer them money and are met with the response of, “No. You would have done the same for me,” and the plane people are left to ponder if that is true.
And what is a musical without a love story? Stefan Lingenfelter plays Nick, an uptight Englishman, who finds shelter from the rowdiness on the plane beside native Texan Christy Rodibaugh. Lingenfelter also plays the husband of Bonnie Harris
Trying desperately to capture the chaos of an influx of thousands to Gander is Janice (Caroline Travers), on her first day working for the local Rogers TV news channel, and the only reporter on the scene. Ten years later, at a reunion covered by national media, hers is the only footage from 9/11 to the day the 38 planes are able to resume flights to their intended USA destinations.
I’ve written about productions of Come From Away several times, but this one hit home a little differently in the relatively intimate New Hazlett Theater’s thrust stage. The painterly mountain backdrop by Johnmichael Bohach, lit by Andrew David Ostrowski and flanked by a band of top-notch Pittsburgh musicians, led by Douglas Levine, was a perfect mood-setter to meet my expectations of a Front Porch production.
I anticipated being moved, as I always am by the real-life plights and charms of Come From Away, but this one touched my heart in ways I had not expected. At a time when our government is taking swipes at Canada, challenging its sovereignty, and testing its leaders’ resolve, Come From Away is a reminder of the people of a small town, who stepped up for thousands of strangers, and made life just a bit easier and bearable on what for many was the worst day of their lives.
As a reminder, if you jump out of your seats to cheer after the show appears to be over, expect to stay there for a bit longer, as a trio delivers some foot-stomping, hand-clapping Irish-Celtic — Newfoundland — folk music. What your left with is the “look for the helpers” spirit that is the pulse of Come From Away.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Front Porch Theatricals production of Come From Away is at the New Hazlett Theatre, 6 Allegheny Square E., North Side, August 14-23, 2026. Tickets: https://www.frontporchpgh.com/. The musical is approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.
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