Front Porch’s ‘Come from Away’ Brings it Home

It’s about altruism. Brotherly love. Doing what’s right when everything’s gone wrong. It’s about community. And faith. Sexual preference. Animal rights. And it’s about nationalism. Come From Away, produced by Front Porch Theatricals with a shining cast of 12 actors (all home grown talent and each playing at least twice as many characters,) a hometown orchestra of eight, and book, music, and lyrics first developed as a “folk musical” (credited to Irene Sankoff and David Hein) at the Canadian Music Theatre Project in 2013. It has enjoyed major success in the West End and on Broadway. Two touring companies in North America and in the UK and Ireland just concluded their runs in May. And now the producers of Front Porch Theatricals, Bruce Smith and Nancy Zionts, opened their home-grown production to a packed audience Friday night. 

Come From Away is already sold out. (Eight performances are scheduled as of now, but you may wish to check the link at the bottom of this review).

The story is simple and historic. When international flights are suddenly grounded due to the crisis of 9/11, the town of Gander, Newfoundland, plays host to 38 planes with nearly 7,000 strangers who will be stranded there for days, and possibly weeks. Very real events unfold amongst the plane passengers stranded on a runway while villagers learn of the crisis only they and other neighboring towns can ameliorate. And they all—passengers and townsfolk—meet the challenge in very human ways. That’s the focus, and the charm and the spirit that guides us through 100 minutes of song, story, and celebration that fill the stage. 

Despite the darkness of the grand dilemma, the script is often funny, lending clever humor to the several relationships that develop. From the start, the Mayor of Gander (Marc Moritz) is at odds with the school bus union boss (Victor Aponte) when an on-going strike must “stand down” to deliver the stranded guests to various schools, clinics and shelters. The local SPCA coordinator Bonnie (Mandy Patsie) discovers that, among several dogs and a cat, two rare bonobo chimpanzees are held in one plane’s belly. The newest Rogers TV news reporter Janice (CarolineTravers) “time stamps” events as a quasi-narrator. The local constable Oz (Brad Smoak) who rarely, if ever, issues speeding tickets—“Just slow down, OK?”—finds himself rushing everywhere to pick up supplies. Beulah, the school director (Lisa Ann Goldsmith), seeks the aid of volunteers too busy volunteering elsewhere to clean bathrooms; the men “glove up” to tackle the nasty deed.

Aboard the American Airliner piloted by Beverly (Drew Leigh Williams) are a couple from Gambia who speak no English (Natalie Hatcher and Richard McBride), Kevin T. and Kevin J., a gay couple (Victor Aponte and Shawn Doremus) returning from Paris, Nick, a lonely, traveling businessman (Stefan Lingenfelter), divorcee Diane (Christy Rodibaugh), and Muslim Ali (Shawn Doremus). Hannah (Natalie Hatcher) awaits word from her son, a NYC firefighter. Identified distinctly by hat, shirt, or dialect, the cast moves fluidly, jumping between roles of village host or interloping guest. Tensions ease. The townspeople throw a grand barbecue in the local hockey rink. And an Elks Lodge becomes the initiation site for those who wish to be made an honorary Newfoundlander. The ceremony is as fishy as the local dishes, all made in good fun.

Come From Away is a musical that comes from the heart. Songs are not relegated for character development, but to issues of religion (“Lead Us Out of the Darkness,” “Prayer”), nationalism (“On The Edge,” “Stop The World”), and cultural traditions (“In the Bar/Heave Away,” “Screech In”). There are a few tender solos (Natalie Hatcher in “Phoning Home,” and Drew Leigh Williams in “Me and the Sky”), yet the score was decidedly written for the collective voice. At first ominous (drums build the suspense,) then disorienting (fiddle and whistle send alarm,) and ultimately joyous (mandolin, bodhran, bass, guitar, fiddle, and keyboard synchronize), the elements of this folksy musical are reserved to keep the pace of a large cast in which no player is greater than any other.  

To that end, Come From Away is mind-blowing in its clever choreography. Twelve ordinary wooden chairs become the interior of an airplane, a dormitory, a pub, a school bus, and dance hall, all merely suggested by the arrangement of chairs. This is a grand ballet of actors fluidly filing the stage all while following their faith in a common humanity that is both organic and unsalable. 

Director Aaron Galligan-Stierle spotlights the many storylines with clarity and a tempo that moves spritely. Equally stunning is Andrew David Ostrowski’s lighting design that helps define the stage and its many suggested locales. Katy Click manages the stage efficiently; no simple challenge with twelve bodies, twelve chairs, props (Katie Mikula-Wineman) and costuming (Michelle Nowakowski) all in the right place at the right time. Johnmichael Bohach’s scenic design is wonderfully malleable, with a few fitting surprises. And Douglas Levine at the keyboard also conducts a lively orchestra that shares the stage amidst a lot of action.

As always, producer Bruce Smith and Nancy Zionts exceed every expectation. Front Porch Theatricals brings home yet another hit musical that showcases local talent every bit as impressive as found on Broadway or the West End. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side.

Photos by Front Porch Theatricals.

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers theater and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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