Review | Come From Away at QPAC

The award winning musical Come From Away landed on Brisbane's shores on Sunday night and whilst its future is still uncertain, its story is more relevant than ever. Partly it's because it is indeed the 20th anniversary year of 9/11 but more so because of it's celebration and banding together of communities; something that's ever present in our co-vid climate.

I thought I'd start this review by praising Irene Sankoff and David Hein for seamlessly fusing the musical sounds of Newfoundland with the biographical narratives of the characters to create such poignant storytelling. The production had no need for a mammoth Disney scale set or costumes and the audience didn't need to be bedazzled by sequins or feathery costumes. We were hooked by the script and the honesty of it's characters.

Director Christopher Ashley transformed the stage into a canvas of memories, colours and images. In theatre, there's a saying called 'less means more' and whilst the set for this show was minimalistic, the way the director transformed everyday household items into different settings was exquisite; creating such stunning images for the audience. One of these scenes was the look out scene in which the two characters moved along the railing of the lookout by walking along a circle of chairs moved in place by the other actors. The way the actors transformed the productions fourteen chairs and three tables to become a plane, a bus and a bar in the span of a handful of seconds was so innovative. Never in my life have I ever been so captivated by transitions. Not only that, but I treasured were how every chair used on stage was different in design, reflecting on how we, as humans, are all different and how although we each have a different story to share, we make up a community.

We watched from the seating bank as the ensemble of twelve actors swiftly transitioned from role to role through transforming their voice and physicality often accompanied by a new prop or costume piece. The casting was superb and their harmonies and voices blended in perfectly. Each actor brought such life, joy, grief and hope to their role and to their exchanges with the other actors that it sent a blanket of serenity over the audience.

One of the scripts more powerful narrative strands was how it spotlighted the unjust treatment of Middle Eastern people following a tragedy through the lens of one of Joseph Haim's characters whose dialogue reflecting on his examination at the airport, with Haim's depiction of how exposed, vulnerable and traumatised he felt during that moment bringing tears to my eyes and making my heart sink in my chest. Zoe Gertz, who played airline pilot Beverly Blass had another heart-jerking, thought-provoking moment when she admitted to the audience that she no longer knew whether she should love flying anymore.

Come from Away is not only a theatrical feast but a feast for storytellers of all ages. I'm counting my blessings that I got to see this remarkable work the evening before Brisvegas went into lockdown and I feel so so privileged that we get to share our shores with such a powerful work of musical theatre.

Rating: 5 Stars

Show | Come From Away

Venue | Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC)

Director | Christopher Ashley

Musical Supervision | Ian Eisendrath

Musical Staging | Kelly Devine

Book, Music, Lyrics | Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Tickets: https://www.qpac.com.au/event/come_from_away_21/

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