Humanity endures: Marriott’s ‘Come From Away’ a testament to compassion, kindness

In theater, as in life, timing is everything.

Marriott Theatre timed its revival of “Come From Away,” the Tony Award-winning musical inspired by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks. That alone heightens the impact of this deeply humane, fact-based account of how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada — “a small place on a giant rock in the ocean” — fed, housed, clothed and cared for more than 7,000 travelers after their trans-Atlantic flights were diverted to Gander International Airport. Thirty-eight flights landed there after the U.S. closed its airspace, their passengers nearly doubling the town’s population.

Created by composer/lyricist/writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, “Come From Away” — with its gentle humor and folk-and-Celtic-inspired score — stands as a testament to compassion and kindness in the wake of unspeakable tragedy.

Directed with characteristic warmth by Jessica Fisch, Marriott’s production was funnier than others I've experienced. Cases in point: a laugh-out-loud scene where a group of cardiologists volunteer to clean the restrooms at one of the shelters housing the grounded passengers and a masterful long pause while buses carrying aforementioned airline passengers wait for a moose to cross the road.

Fisch’s seamless staging, enhanced by Marriott’s revolving stage, keeps the actors in near-constant motion even as their characters are literally grounded.

Additionally, I found several moments in Fisch’s production resonated more emotionally than they have in the Broadway tour and regional premiere. One scene in particular involved resourceful Newfoundlander Garth (Devin DeSantis) attempting to communicate with nervous, non-English speaking travelers played by Sharriese Hamilton and Michael Earvin Martin. Attempting to assuage them, Garth points to a Bible verse Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing,” he says.

The shared belief that breaches the communication barrier segues into one of the show’s loveliest moments, the unifying “Prayer.”

The unvarnished sincerity Fisch’s actors (all of whom play multiple roles) bring to their performances, combined with the intimacy of the in-the-round Lincolnshire theater, lends immediacy to the production.

DeSantis also plays Kevin T, owner of an environmental energy company, who adapts easily to small-town Gander life, unlike his more prickly partner Kevin J (Jonathan Shaboo), who uses sass to mask his fear.

Matt Crowle brings a touch of pathos to Nick, a British business traveler whose budding romance with divorced Diane (Heidi Kettenring) is threatened when the airspace reopens. Kettenring’s Diane departs Gander wearing a piece of donated clothing, a sartorial confirmation of the transformational experience.

Alex Goodrich plays Claude, Gander’s capable mayor. He also plays Derm, the mayor of nearby Appleton who befriends Martin’s Bob, a New Yorker skeptical of kind strangers.

Sarah Bockel is Bonnie, the SPCA worker determined to care for the animals on board the planes. Madison Kauffman is neophyte TV reporter Janice. Justin Albinder is Oz, Gander’s constable. Albinder also delivers a bit of comic relief as a gym teacher who speaks fluent Spanish.

Lexis Dorsett Sharp plays pilot Beverley, American Airlines’ first female captain. Denise Devlin is Beulah, a take-charge woman who ensures the “plane people” are housed and fed.

The mother of a firefighter, Beulah bonds with Hamilton’s Hannah, the mother of a missing New York City firefighter who beautifully expresses her anguish over not being there for him in the plaintive “I Am Here.”

The anthemic “Welcome to the Rock,” during which residents of Gander defiantly proclaim “I am an islander,” opens the show and serves as its coda: the 10th anniversary reunion of Gander residents and the “plane people” that memorializes the tragedy and its life-altering impact.

“Tonight we honor what was lost,” says Goodrich's mayor. “But we also commemorate what we found.”

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“Come From Away”

4 stars

Location: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, (847) 634-0100, MarriottTheatre.com

Showtimes: 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 18. Also, 1 p.m. select Thursdays

Tickets: Start at $78; dinner/theater packages available

Running time: About 100 minutes, no intermission

Rating: For teens and older, some strong language