Musical Mondays: Come From Away

Of all the great things Mr. Rogers said and did, perhaps the most notable and touching is his reminder to “look for the helpers” in times of crisis or suffering. No matter the pain in the world, there will always be people helping. It’s a beautiful, tender thought, and it is what makes the show Come From Away such a touching, relatable musical. It’s a true story of 38 planes that landed in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland on September 11th. More than that, it’s a story of compassion, it’s a story of a desire to help, and it’s a story of humanity at its most tender.

Everyone in America, maybe the world, remembers where they were on September 11th, and most everyone remembers a feeling of hopelessness. What can I do? How do I help? Come From Away presents us with the citizens of Gander are faced with the reality of 7,000 new people in town, scared people, who don’t even always speak the same language. It’s a massive undertaking to help, but more than the enormity of the cause is the importance of the smallest moments. Sharing a laugh with someone—relating with another human because you have something in common. This is why the show works.

More than anything else, people are people, and Come From Away reminds you of this more than anything else. No matter what religion, origin, sexuality, gender, whatever—people are people. By taking such an enormous event and boiling it down to the interactions of but a few people, Come From Away gives beauty to pain.

What also works for the show is a great decision to have a minimalist set. The set primarily consists of a large number of chairs—the chairs are sometimes airplanes when they’re in a row. The chairs are sometimes the inside of a Tim Horton’s. The set doesn’t matter because this is such a human driven show. The focus should be on the actors—it isn’t a show about spectacle; it’s a small, intimate show. The show isn’t perfect—the accents are a little inconsistent, and I think the songs with the ensemble are stronger than the solos. When you leave the theater though, that is not what one remembers.

You’ll remember where you were on that day. You’ll remember times of pain. Hopefully though, you’ll remember that people are people. Hopefully you’ll remember that no matter where someone comes from, they are just another person.

Most of all, I hope Come From Away reminds you to look for the helpers. They’re there. Even when the times are hardest, love and friendship are there.