By Graham Hiley.
Imagine 7,000 travellers suddenly turning up in your home town – a bit like Southampton when the cruise ships are all in… but without the infrastructure to cope.
That was the situation for the small Newfoundland town of Gander (population 9,500) when 38 planes were diverted to their airport on 9/11.
It was a day which showed the worst of humanity and the very best of it as those scared, angry and bewildered travellers were welcomed into the tight-knit community.
With only 500 hotel rooms, the townspeople threw open their homes, their schools even their ice hockey rink to look after total strangers many of whom went on to become lifelong friends.
The heart-warming story is told in the superb musical Come From Away playing at the Mayflower Theatre until Saturday (April 20).
The aftermath of those horrific terror attacks might not seem an obvious choice for a feelgood show but it really works thanks to the rousing score, the emotional human stories told with wit and warmth and the cleverly co-ordinated cast.
There are no big-name stars, just a tight and talented ensemble who seamlessly switch between a variety of characters to tell the tale from different perspectives.
The choreography is flawless – not just the dancing but the way the chairs are rapidly moved around. One minute they represent a bar, the next they are configured as the cabin of an aircraft.
Despite the open stage they perfectly capture the claustrophobia and panic on the plane. With limited access to phones, the travellers did not know where they were or even why. But they soon learned to love their enforced isolation.
The swift scene switches add to the thrust of the show. It is vibrant, powerful, funny and it rattles through 100 minutes at a relentless speed. Even the big show-stopper song does not manage to stop the show!
Sara Poyzer’s moving rendition of Me and the Sky would normally get a rousing reception but it ends with a sudden snap back to narrative such is the pace of the piece. No wonder there is no interval!
Firstly there is no suitable place but more importantly it would break the momentum and the magic which holds the audience spellbound from the foot-stomping opener through to the band coming on stage to play the show out with an Irish instrumental which has the place bouncing.
They also join the cast for another big set-piece Screech In which is fantastic fun and perfectly captures the feelgood factor which makes this a must-see.
That generosity of spirit shown by the Newfoundlanders is infectious and is traditionally replicated at each performance with the audience urged to show similar kindness and bring non-perishable foodstuffs. In collaboration with Theatrical Lydia, the Mayflower Theatre are running a Food Bank Drive with all donations going to Feed The Community in Southampton.
Come From Away runs at the Mayflower until April 12. C Click here to book.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton