Come From Away – Liverpool Empire

This evening, I was honoured to have been invited to the first ever UK tour of ‘Come From Away’ – Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s show that has truly moved the masses, telling a remarkable tale of human spirit in times of tragedy.

‘Come From Away’ is set in the wake of 9/11 and follows the lives of air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. It shows how the close-knit community welcomed strangers into their lives with open arms in a time of desperate need, and how unlikely friendships and bonds were forged for a lifetime.

This show can only be described as uniquely thought-provoking. As the show begins, the scene is set with such simplicity, with the stage only comprising of a large wooden panel lining the entire back wall of the stage, 12 different chairs and tall trees trailing each side of the stage to symbolise the Newfoundland setting. From the outset, this presents us with a level of rawness and honesty as our main focus is projected on to the uniform cast of 12, with no distractions from a large, boisterous set.

We are shortly introduced to the aforementioned cast, each cleverly playing a huge variety of roles from airplane passengers to pilots to Newfoundland folk – all of which adding huge substance to the plot no matter the size. The cast made their multi-roling clear by using small props and costumes (such as jackets and hats) to differentiate between characters easily and quickly – the cast also used impeccable accents and physicality to portray their different roles in a minuscule space of time.

Boasting a large band, the score comprised of traditional Newfoundland orchestrations alongside the traditional Musical Theatre style, unlike anything else heard in modern-age musicals. Despite most pieces taking inspiration from the Newfoundland style, each number varied vastly from the other, and the majority of the show was played through and underscored, helping the audience to stay engaged and connected to the story. The band were slightly in view of the audience, placed in the top corners of the stage. They were an immense joy to watch perform these wonderful tunes and rightfully received a full standing ovation when they closed the show with ‘screech out’ a piece which showcased each musician and instrument brilliantly. The band were let fantastically by Andrew Corcoran and utilised instruments including Irish flutes, Jillian pipes, the fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki.

Lighting design by Howell Binkley was flawlessly executed throughout – albeit being a tough challenge with the show not having interval and requiring consistency throughout one larger act. I particularly loved the backlighting at the rear of the stage, this lit the back wall and flooded the whole stage with light when solely used, the hues of blue and gold throughout the performance were stunning and follow spots were used to successfully showcase singular characters during busy, bustling scenes (such as scenes in which all 12 cast members are closely set on the airplane).

In such a unified and vast performance, it is difficult to pick out elements which rose above the rest (particularly when all cast were seemingly involved in every song). However, it must be said that ‘Screech In’ in which the ‘Come From Aways’ visited a local Gander bar and immersed themselves in local culture, was perhaps the most joyous song within a musical performance I have ever had the pleasure of watching. ‘Stop The World’ is also deserving of an honourable mention, in which we are shown the romance that two unlikely solo-travellers have developed over the course of just a few days – the cast carefully moved their chairs around during this song for the unlikely couple to travel across together (symbolising their bond further developing) and this was simply beautiful to watch.

Five stars are simply not enough for this heart-warmingly moving and truly soul-feeding tale, which left not a dry eye in the house come the finale. ‘Come From Away’ UK Tour is running at the Liverpool Empire Theatre until Saturday 23rd March 2024, and you must buy now to secure your seats for this revolutionary production. https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/

Reviewer: Grace Annabel

Reviewed: 12th March 2024

North West End UK Rating: