Come From Away
★★★★☆ Inspirational
Assembly Rooms (Venue 20): Tue 12 – Sun 24 Aug 2025
Review by Rebecca Mahar
Captivate Theatre bring a stirring rendition of Come From Away to the Bijou at Assembly Rooms through to the 24th, the Fringe debut of this groundbreaking, heart-wrenching musical.
Come From Away is set in the Newfoundland town of Gander, where during the week following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, seven thousand travellers found refuge after being stranded by the closure of USA airspace.
A scene from Captivate’s production of Come From Away. Pic: Captivate.
The musical follows the stories of a group from one of the thirty-eight civilian planes from all over the world that were grounded in Gander, as well as residents of the town who came together to shelter and support them, and the everlasting bonds forged between all those who shared in this experience.
The fourteen-strong ensemble all play multiple characters, variously embodying the “plane people” and the Gander locals as needed. Writing and composing team Irene Sankoff and David Hein created these characters after interviewing real people in Gander who were part of that week, some of whom translated more or less directly to the stage, while others became amalgamations. The fluid nature of the ensemble reflects this manner of creation, as well as the idea that at a certain place at a certain time, anyone could have been on either side of this situation.
Sally Lyall’s direction is crisp and efficient, in partnership with choreography from Danielle Logan wrangling what is rather a large ensemble for the Bijou space in a manner that never feels too crowded, and manages to divide the space fluidly into all the locations required.
multi-talented
Fraser Hume’s musical direction rises to the occasion as well, with a small and multi-talented band tucked into booths beside the main audience evoking the feel of a session. James Kinnear expands this feeling onto the stage, weaving in and out of the ensemble, trading nimbly between bodhrán, whistles, and wooden flute, making visible the diasporic nature of Newfoundland’s musical culture and its influence on the score of Come From Away.
Although there are moments when this production feels a little low on energy, or that it is not quite carrying the gravity of the events it portrays, these are balanced by moments of unparalleled excellence. Flick Hannah as Beverley Bass, captain of the flight whose occupants the musical follows, builds though her anthem “Me and the Sky” to a betrayed anger that seems to take her by surprise, capturing the character’s real-time processing of what has happened.
A scene from Captivate’s production of Come From Away. Pic: Captivate.
Aaron de Verés moves between several roles, but is particularly noteworthy as Ali, an Egyptian passenger who comes under scrutiny for both his physical appearance and his Muslim faith. De Verés captures the quiet fear and humiliation of the character with subtle skill, as well as his humorous moments about the catering in Gander.
In a company of fantastic performances, the knockout star of Come From Away is Rebecca Holmes as Hannah. Like Beverly Bass, Hannah is one of the show’s characters which was translated directly from an individual: the real Hannah O’Rourke passed away on August 10th of this year at the age of ninety-one.
devastating
Hannah’s son, Kevin, is an FDNY fireman, and like so many others in the wake of 9/11, she is unable to reach him following the attacks. Holmes is devastating as Hannah, balancing individual and collective fear, gratitude and tentative steps toward hope, and the grief of not knowing. “I Am Here” and “Something’s Missing” are showstopping, not in the spectacular way that musical numbers with that description often are, but in a way that grips the heart of everyone in the room and makes them forget this is all a play.
Come From Away doesn’t exactly have a happy ending, as you might expect from its subject matter, but rather builds to something inspirational and hopeful, looking forward without forgetting to look back and remember. Though built on tragedy, Come From Away does what good art does best: seizes upon the human connections that make endurance possible.
Wherever you are, you are here.
Running time: One hour and 30 minutes (no interval).
Assembly Rooms (Bijou), 54 George St. EH2 2LR (Venue 20).
Tuesday 12 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily: 3.40pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on EdFest.com.*
A scene from Captivate’s production of Come From Away. Pic: Captivate.
Captivate website: www.captivatetheatre.com
Facebook: @captivatetheatre
Instagram: @captivatetheatre
TikTok: @captivate_theatre
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