Blackout Productions return to the Church Hill Theatre this week with the breathtaking hit Broadway & West End musical – ‘Come From Away’. The award-winning musical is set in Gander, Newfoundland during the events of 9/11, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, highlighting acts of kindness from the people of Gander and the best side of humanity in the darkest of hours.
This musical is infamous for being a solid ensemble piece of theatre, intertwining true stories of people from various countries, ethnicities and faiths to portray the reality of the small Canadian rural town dealing with the arrival of thirty-eight passenger planes from across the globe. Blackout’s cast for this production take on this challenge with ease, bringing exquisite performances to the Church Hill stage.
Sarah Haddath delivers an incredible performance as Beverley, the seasoned American Airlines pilot, including a showstopping rendition of ‘Me & The Sky’. Haddath compliments her versatility by contrasting Beverley’s strength with her farcical and hilarious portrayal of Annette. Chris Cotter’s comedic and at points poignant performance as Gander’s no-nonsense mayor, Claude, brings such warmth to the stage each time he is featured.
Colin Caincross as Nick and Janet Kirkwood as Diane bring a believable spark, and heavenly energy to the romantic duo. ‘Stop The World’ is sang with such blissful and heartbreaking realism that the audience can’t help but connect to the two characters.
Sean Quinn’s portrayal of Kevin T, accompanied by James Dawoud as Kevin J bring great comedic nuance to the characters, whilst also delivering a heartfelt dynamic to the two characters. Sean’s performance of ‘Prayer’ is poignant and powerful, sang beautifully. He also brings a great farcical energy to Garth, as a clear contrast to Kevin T’s demeanour. Whilst James brings a raw emotional portrayal as Ali, showing the tribulations he faces with such brutal honesty, it is a truly captivating performance.
Ciara O’Brien’s Beulah is a warm hug of a character, showing clear empathy and humanity while tending to those needing her care, Ciara brings this warmth with such ease and delight for the audience. Judith McGuigan also brings warmth, humour and empathy into her portrayal of Bonnie, showing that humans weren’t the only ones being catered for by the people of Gander.
Rachel Haynes shows the pain, frustration and devastation of Hannah with such delicacy and truth. Rachel’s haunting performance of ‘I am here’ shows the real impact of the events in America in contrast to the joyful surroundings of Gander. This is a breathtaking performance and very much brings home the true pain that 9/11 brought to people within New York.
Sally Quinn is utterly hilarious as Janice, her quirky portrayal of the reporter is a joy to watch, and brings light within moments surrounding darker themes. Sally’s energy never dips and constantly holds the audience’s attention. Harry Dozier portrays Bob with an inquisitive nature, clearly anxious of his surroundings, whilst going on a journey and settling into the Gander life. Gregor Robertson is hilarious as Oz, bringing the bumbling comedic cop to life with such great comic timing and energy.
The principal cast are also supported by a great team of swings, who bring sublime vocals, energy and presence on stage. The swings are Lesley Ward, Claire Macbride-Stewart, Ollie Hall and Thaddeus Buttrey.
Suzie Dumbreck’s direction of ‘Come From Away’, with assistant direction from Scott Anderson, brings in clear parallels to the original Broadway and West End production whilst also mainly featuring original staging. Dumbreck does well to piece together the narrative, retaining the complex staging, keeping the story flowing and bringing power to each vignette. At points there could be more breathing room to let some of the impact of the more powerful moments sit with the audience, yet this could purely be down to opening night jitters and pacing will settle as the run goes on. Suzie’s vision brings depth, beauty and truth to these stories, and has clearly worked hard with the performers to bring the authenticity needed when handling such a delicate subject.
Jamie Lang’s musical direction brings us the beautiful numbers featured in this production in all their glory. The band sound simply stunning and as do the performers on stage nailing the versatile styles of music featured in this production.
Chris JS Wilson’s choreography helps bring energy to each number and does well as being more movement focused to compliment the characters rather than complex routines which would take away the subtlety of each character.
Gregor Donnelly’s impressive set design brings more influence of the setting of Gander and the town’s airport than seen in the original production. It works well and brings a Brechtian feel with how open it makes the stage, with nowhere to hide for the actors who are performing for 90 minutes straight. Gregor’s set is complimented by Rebecca Clough’s vibrant and contemporary lighting design.
Blackout Productions’ ‘Come From Away’ is a beautiful piece of theatre which has been pieced together by the cast and creative team with care and love. The poignancy and joy this musical holds in it’s heart is very much present and is something which is not to be missed.
Get tickets here – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/blackout-productions/come-from-away/e-pvzzrj
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