[NEohioPAL] Review of "Come From Away" touring production at Playhouse Square

[Bob Abelman]

‘Come From Away’ offers a kinder, gentler musical

Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal



Be warned: There most certainly will be hugging among strangers at Playhouse Square. And random acts of kindness will likely break out as well.  



The reason is “Come From Away,” the touring 2017 Tony Award-winning musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.  It is a one-act celebration of the selfless generosity, self-deprecating humor and heroic hospitality displayed by the ordinary citizens of Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001, when they saw their small town’s population double overnight as 38 planes with 6,579 passengers were forced to land and stay grounded for five days when the U.S.’s air traffic was restricted due to terrorist attack.



The musical, which unfolds with great pace and greater sense of purpose under Christopher Ashley’s direction, offers a running oral history of those days as seen through the eyes of a dozen locals and a dozen visitors the locals affectionately refer to as “plane people.” Inspired by real people, these characters are portrayed by the same 12 versatile cast members (Kevin Carolan, Harter Clingman, Nick Duckart, Chamblee Ferguson, Becky Gulsvig, Julie Johnson, Christine Toy Johnson, James Earl Jones II, Megan McGinnis, Andrew Samonsky, Danielle K. Thomas, and Emily Walton) who shift from one to the other and back again with little more than a change of hat or coat and some terrific acting.  



Every cast member brings high energy, a powerful voice and an air of authenticity to this production – even after nine months on the road – and delivers this musical as if it was a true labor of love.



For more of this review, go to:  www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/bob_abelman/
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