Come From Away at Maine State Music Theatre

When the World Closed Its Doors, One Small Town Opened Every Window

There are musicals that entertain, musicals that dazzle, and musicals that leave audiences humming their favorite songs on the drive home. Then there is Come From Away, a rare piece of theatre that quietly asks a larger question:

Who do we become when strangers suddenly need us?

Twenty-five years after the events of September 11, that question feels every bit as urgent as it did in 2001.

Based on the remarkable true story of the 38 commercial airliners carrying nearly 7,000 passengers that were diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, after American airspace closed on September 11, Come From Away recounts one of history's darkest days through one of its brightest responses. Faced with thousands of frightened travelers who spoke different languages, practiced different faiths, and came from every corner of the world, the people of Gander never paused to ask who belonged. They simply asked what was needed.

Beds were made. Meals were cooked. Blankets appeared. Churches opened their doors. Strangers became neighbors over cups of tea, shared casseroles, and conversations that would change lives forever.

Watching Maine State Music Theatre's production today, I found myself transported not only back to September 2001, but to a time when the worst of humanity was answered by the very best. The show never ignores the grief, fear, or unimaginable loss of that terrible day, yet it refuses to leave us there. Instead, it reminds us that compassion can spread as quickly as panic, and that ordinary people often become extraordinary simply by choosing kindness.

For many in Thursday's audience, the events portrayed onstage are not distant history. They remain deeply personal. Some lost loved ones. Others came frighteningly close.

I was one degree away.

I had been scheduled to travel from Portland, Maine, to Boston for a business meeting on the very morning Mohammed Atta and the other terrorists boarded the flight that would later continue to New York. A postponement of that meeting by a single day altered everything. I would not have been aboard the doomed aircraft itself, but I have never forgotten the realization that I had almost shared the space that carried those men to history's darkest morning. It is an unsettling thought that never quite leaves you.

Perhaps that is why Come From Away resonates so profoundly. It understands that memory lives in ordinary people, and that healing often begins with ordinary kindness.

Director Mark Johnson understands that this isn't merely a historical musical. It is a living reminder that generosity is contagious, hospitality is a form of courage, and sometimes the most heroic act is putting a candle in the window and making another pot of tea.

From the opening moments, the production holds its audience with scarcely a chance to breathe. Running one hour and forty-five minutes without an intermission, it carries us through laughter, heartbreak, anxiety, and hope with remarkable momentum while never allowing its emotional thread to fray.

What elevates this production beyond excellent is its extraordinary ensemble. There are no stars in Come From Away. There is only a community. Yet within that community, several performances deserve special recognition.

David Girolmo is the quiet center of gravity. His Claude anchors the production with warmth, humanity, and understated authority. Every scene seems steadier because he is in it. He becomes the glue that binds together an already exceptional company.

Charis Leos and Tarra Conner Jones create one of the evening's most affecting emotional currents. Their performances are never forced or sentimental. Instead, they build a bond of remarkable honesty, one that remains unbroken throughout the evening. Their work captures something instantly recognizable to anyone who remembers those terrible days: the fragile determination to care for one another when fear threatened to overwhelm everything else.

Around them, the entire company performs with remarkable precision and heart. Cary Michele Miller, Kolby Kindle, Carolyn Anne Miller, Amy Bodnar, Kelly Liz Bolick, Stephane Duret, Tyler Hanes, Gregg Goodbrod, and Peter Matthew Smith each transform seamlessly among multiple characters, creating an entire community with little more than a chair, a gesture, or a change of voice. It is ensemble acting in its purest form.

The design team deserves equal praise. Kelly Liz Bolick's choreography keeps the constantly shifting stage pictures fluid and purposeful. Harry Collins and Andrew Becker lead the score with warmth and energy. Kyle Dixon's deceptively simple scenic design, Sam Biondolillo's lighting, Shannon Slaton's sound, Luis Garcia's projections, Jane Alois Stein's costumes, and Kevin S. Foster II's wigs all combine to create a world that feels immediate, intimate, and astonishingly real.

One of the joys of this production is seeing so many familiar Maine State Music Theatre favorites return to Brunswick. There is a genuine sense that the family has come home, and that feeling extends from the stage into the audience.

By the final moments, few dry eyes remained.

That reaction isn't earned through manipulation. It is earned through truth.

Come From Away reminds us that history is not written only by those who commit terrible acts. It is also written by the neighbors who make extra sandwiches, open spare bedrooms, brew another pot of tea, and choose compassion over fear.

Twenty-five years later, that may be the story we need most.

Maine State Music Theatre has given it to us beautifully.

Tickets for Come From Away are available now by visiting msmt.org, calling the Box Office at (207) 725-8769, or visiting the Box Office at 22 Elm Street in Brunswick.

Come From Away is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).