Come From Near or Far for Come From Away at the Erie Playhouse
Seemingly simple setpieces belie intricate staging
BEGINNING FRIDAY, SEPT. 11
The most deadly terrorist attack perpetrated on U.S. soil occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, and for a moment, Americans were united as we mourned all that we had lost. But the entire world felt the reverberations of that violence, including in a small, isolated Canadian town, in the province of Newfoundland. The Erie Playhouse is presenting Come From Away, the story of what happened when 7,000 airplane passengers were stranded in that northern town due to the attacks, and how the locals pulled together to come to their aid.
The musical, which had its first performance in 2013 before coming to Broadway in 2017, was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley. Richard Davis fills this role for the Playhouse's production, as well as serving as the artistic director for the organization, and he was emphatic in describing the difficulty of the play.
"Come From Away looks deceptively easy," he said. "It is not. The physical aspect of moving 20 chairs around the stage in various configurations and keeping track of which chair you move, when, and where it goes is very challenging." He described how each actor plays multiple characters, too, each with their own personality (and in some cases, accent) – as a result, every performer is always "part of the action, the entire show." According to Davis, the entire cast has been hard at work to memorize, and perfect, all of these details.
Aside from the brilliant book and score (by Irene Sankoff and David Hein) the story and greater themes of compassion and radical kindness are at the core of Come From Away, and Davis hopes those resonate with audiences. "Hopefully, it inspires people to step back and reflect on how they interact with others. A little kindness goes a long way."
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees: 2 p.m. // Erie Playhouse, 13 W. 10th St. // $15.88 - $25.59, plus fees // For tickets and info: erieplayhouse.org
