Sometimes the messy politics of the real world can turn a chipper little Broadway show into essential, must-see theater.
Just as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada (and Mexico) went into effect, a work about the generosity, quirks and guilelessness of our northern neighbor opened at St. Paul’s Ordway Center.
“Come From Away’ is not new. Broadway tours of the big-hearted musical by the wife-and-husband team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein have played both the Ordway and Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre.
But its story about how the people of Gander, Newfoundland, rallied on Sept. 11 to welcome the crew and passengers of “38 Planes” that had to divert there that day because of the terrorist attacks has taken on added poignancy now.
Wednesday’s opening night performance drew an emotive, sustained standing ovation, prompting the accompanying folk-rock show orchestra, led by Sarah Pool Wilhelm, to continue with an effusive encore. That made the 90-minute one-act feel like a complicated and tear-filled embrace.
“Away” is named for the expression that the Gander townsfolk use for strangers. And it’s understandable. With its two-man police force and location at the edge of North America, Gander, after all, feels like the title of one of the show’s musical numbers: “Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere.”
But it has historically been a strategic refueling stop for transatlantic flights. In the show, the eyes of the mayor and residents light up when they realize that they have to accommodate 7,000 sudden guests, essentially doubling the town’s population.
The hosts get to work, buying “Blankets and Bedding,” toiletries, personal effects and other supplies. They house the passengers and crew, who hail from all across the world, have different sexual orientations and practice a variety of faiths, in homes, gyms, schools and wherever they can find shelter.
