I suspect there will be a few bloggers and blog visitors out there who have already seen the musical "Come From Away". Shirley and I saw it last evening at "The Lyceum" theatre in the centre of Sheffield. It was conceived ten years after the dreadful day that we remember as 9/11 and it was first performed in 2013.
You cannot really say that the show is about 9/11 but what happened that day provides a sinister backdrop to the story. It is set - not in New York City but in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.
At that time, back in September 2001, all flights in and out of New York were shut down. Around thirty eight flights were ordered to land at the remote airport in Gander and there they stayed for almost a week.
Gander is a small town with a population of around 9,000 and suddenly they had 6,500 visitors. How would they cope? In the event, the town pulled together, opening their public facilities and homes to the newcomers whose travel plans had been disrupted.
In spite of some initial puzzlement about the quality of sound and my distinct impression that the residents of Gander spoke with Irish accents, I began to warm to the show.
The actors played the parts of both the Newfoundlanders and the air passengers, switching seamlessly. The stage had a simple set in which chairs were vital props for conveying air travel and for example a bar room in Gander.
There was much joy and humour in the production as well as some riotous singing and dancing. One of the stranded passengers was concerned throughout about her son who was a fire fighter in New York City. There was to be no happy ending for her and you may recall that 343 fire fighters died as a result of the 9/11 attacks on The World Trade Center.
In the end, "Come From Away" is a celebration of what it means to be a human being - helping each other, feeling other people's pain, rising to challenges, moving on. What happened in Gander was in direct contrast to the wickedness that happened in New York and at The Pentagon and Stonycreek PA that sunny September morning.
The show received a standing ovation last night in Sheffield. I would like to think that a portion of the applause was for the 2,996 who lost their lives.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/B0PLNTG