Come From Away review – A heartwarming triumph of musical theatre on Milton Keynes stage

An exceptional piece of theatre drew rapturous applause last night as the talented 12-member cast of four-time Olivier Award winning musical Come From Away took their bow on the Milton Keynes Theatre stage.

Written a decade years ago by Canadian husband and wife Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away retells the story of some 7,000 airline passengers who became stranded at Gander Airport in September 2001 when 38 aircraft were forcibly grounded after United States airspace immediately shut down following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York.

The tiny Newfoundland community quickly rallied together and made welcome their unexpected guests with food and shelter, their story retold in a memorable 100-minute production (with no interval) superbly directed by Christopher Ashley. Come From Away really does capture both the hosts’ and passengers’ emotional experiences thanks to a mix of laughter, wit and humanity – and all backed by an enjoyable (but not a particularly memorable) foot-tapping musical score.

Come From Away has minimalistic staging. It’s extremely simple but effective as chairs are moved and rearranged to create aircraft interiors, buses or an airport terminal. We also get to meet so many different characters with the actors all playing multiple parts, Kevin Yates in particular being singled out for his portrayals of Kevin J and also of Ali, an Egyptian chef who comes in for racial discrimination.

Sara Poyzer plays Beverley Bass, American Airlines’ first female captain. She has a great voice and it comes across in the heartfelt number Me and the Sky. However for me the real showstopper is actually a regular Christian hymn as Make Me a Channel of Your Peace is reworked to become a Jewish anthem and an Islamic chant.

There are great performances and lots of sub-stories like businessman Nick (Daniel Crowder) falling for Diane (Kirsty Hoiles) while Canadian schoolteacher Beulah Davis (Amanda Henderson) supports Hannah (Bree Smith), a woman anxious to hear from her son in New York.

The other cast members are Mark Dugdale (Kevin T), Rosie Glossop (Bonnie), Natasha J Barnes (Janice), Oliver Jacobson (Oz), Dale Mathurin (Bob) and Nicholas Pound (Gander Mayor Claude) who all play numerous parts and they are joined on stage by eight musicians under the direction of Andrew Corcoran.

Among the other 14 musical numbers are Welcome to the Rock, Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere and Something's Missing, all of which help retell the story of those emotional days in a time of crisis.

The show’s choreography is quite dynamic and full of energy while the scenery is basic to say the least with just the bare minimum.

Come From Away is a musical unlike any other that I’ve seen in recent years and while it’s set against the harrowing story of 9/11, it’s the humanity and kindness which really shines through.

Until Saturday November 30. Visit atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes to book.