COME FROM AWAY at the Phoenix - Good For The Gander

On September 11th 2001 as the world watched in shock as four doomed hijacked planes became missiles, other planes were already in mid-flight with nowhere to land as all US airspace was cleared.  38 civilian flights and 4 military flights were re-routed to the Canadian town of Gander on the island of Newfoundland, it's airport having become an emergency landing location.  6,600 people - passengers and crew - suddenly appeared from nowhere and the town-people came together to provide them with food and shelter for the 6 days it took to get their flights started again.

One of the few optimistic tales to emerge from September 11th, this Samaritan tale writ large is the basis of the Award-winning musical COME FROM AWAY which I finally got round to seeing a week or so ago.

The musical, unsurprisingly, originated in Canada in 2013 and slowly made it's way to Broadway in 2017 where it's unexpected down-home quality made it a surprise hit and it is still running.  It was nominated for 7 Tony Awards but lost out to the DEAR EVAN HANSEN juggernaut, winning only the Best Director award for Christopher Ashley.

It opened in January of 2019 at the Phoenix Theatre and was nominated for 9 Olivier Awards, winning 4 including Best New Musical.  It seems to have found it's audience here too and we were lucky to see it with the original cast still intact, which was good as I think it was their committed ensemble playing which made the show enjoyable.

To be honest, I found the musical took a bit of time to get going; it's the second show from Canadian husband and wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff who also wrote the book, based on research they did while visiting Gander for the 10-year reunion of passengers and townsfolk.  Their characters are based on real people both on the ground and in the air and a cast of 12 play all parts.  We are first introduced to the townsfolk - Claude the amiable mayor who is trying to sort out an industrial dispute with city bus drivers, the local cop, the local school teacher, the rookie local tv reporter etc. who all seem to turn up at the local bar to chew the fat.

But soon they learn of the events sweeping the US and quickly become the bewildered passengers aboard an American Airlines plane being flown by Pilot Beverley Bass which is diverted to Gander for an emergency landing.  Aboard we have a cross-section of travellers like a routine AIRPORT disaster film: the worried mother of a NY fireman, a young gay couple both called Kevin, a middle-aged English man and a gregarious Texan woman who are finding a burgeoning friendship etc.  Soon they are being assimilated with the welcoming townsfolk who have to miraculously supply all their needs as their luggage is embargoed on the silent planes.

And that's about it... everyone makes space for each other and help is given freely and accepted gladly.  One suspects that in real life there was surely more strain during the 6 days the unexpected guests disrupted the lives of the people of Gander but we are presented with links of acts of human kindness that slowly begin to work their charm.

Sadly the music - while perfectly fine in the theatre - has left not even the faintest echo in my mind but it is all based around a Celtic folky stompy, handclappy vibe which provides for a few galvanizing ensemble numbers.  The one big solo number is given to the pilot Beverley Bass as she sings of her childhood dream to fly planes and in it's chorus it reminded me of 'Defying Gravity' from WICKED - or was that because it was sung by ex-Elphiba Rachel Tucker?

Rachel Tucker has come a long way from being a runner-up on the BBC OLIVER! talent show "I'll Do Anything!" - as has fellow-contestant Jessie Buckley - and she gave a warm and commanding performance as the pilot whose faith in the open skies is suddenly challenged.  As I have said it was the calibre of performances that won me over and apart from Tucker there was fine work from David Thaxton and Jonathan Andrew Hume as the gay couple growing apart by being confined together. and Robert Hands and Helen Hobson as the English businessman Nick and Texan Diane slowly falling in love but knowing that life will split them up when the plane gets the OK to fly.

Clive Carter was fun as the easygoing mayor of Gander and I liked Cat Simmons as the worried mother of a NY firefighter, and a special mention to Nathanael Campbell as Bob, a young black man who thrives in the tolerant community he finds in Gander.  But as I said, they all get an opportunity to shine and work well as an ensemble - the onstage band were splendid too.

At 100 minutes with no interval, it packs a lot in and I can't say I ever felt the pace drop so I would recommend it - as Sam Goldwyn allegedly said "It has charmth and warmth" - it's just a shame the score is not stronger.

This week we finally got to see PASSION at the Donmar. You know the year is speeding by when that show it seemed absurd to book so far in advance for is suddenly the next day.

I had deliberately not read any reviews for this production but I was worried going in as Jamie Lloyd is not a favorite director and I had heard there was 'streamlining' of the score - this worried me as the score for PASSION seems so hermetically-sealed that it's hard to see where trimming could take place without disrupting the flow.

However very soon into the show I was forgetting all my worries. Jamie Lloyd, for all his speeding problems, has directed the best version of the show I have seen. The original London production was top-heavy with the casting of Michael Ball and the over-rated Maria Friedman and the Bridewell production - as was usually the case with that theatre - was slightly under-whelmingly cast. But here, the production is as intense, focused and driven as the play's anti-heroine Fosca, it has the hothouse atmosphere of an invalid's sickbed.
The musical has a book by James Lapine and is based on Ettore Scola's 1981 film PASSIONE D'AMORE which is itself based on the novel 'Fosca' by Ugo Iginio Tarchetti. Tarchetti died of Tuberculosis aged only 29 while writing the novel so the strange, feverish nature of the story can be fully understood knowing that fact. The original production ran only nine months from 1994-95 but still deservedly won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Score, Book and Actress for Donna Murphy.

Giorgio is an army Captain who is enjoying a passionate affair with the married Clara which is interrupted when he is drafted to a remote outpost. He is warmly welcomed by Colonel Ricci and Dr. Tambourri while being viewed somewhat suspiciously by his fellow soldiers for his literary interests. He soon learns there is another inhabitant of the outpost, the Colonel's sickly cousin Fosca who stays in her room and whose agonised cries are heard often.
Giorgio lends her some of his books and Fosca makes a rare appearance at dinner to thank him for his generosity which he confesses in his letters to Clara he only did at the prompting of the Doctor. It is soon apparent that Fosca has become obsessed with the handsome Captain and haunts Giorgio wherever he goes, driving him to distraction. His attempt to end their friendship leads to a decline in her health and the Doctor begs him to see Fosca again. Fosca asks one thing of him - that he writes her a love letter which she dictates much to his discomfort. He later learns she was married once but was swindled of her fortune and left destitute.

The constant drain on his emotions takes its toll and Giorgio becomes unwell. However he cannot bring himself to go on a lengthy sick leave which angers his superiors and makes him the subject of barrack room gossip. Giorgio slowly begins to question whose love is more real - Clara's carefully managed trysts or Fosca's total devotion. The news that Giorgio is to be transferred leads to a hysterical collapse from Fosca and the Colonel, suspecting Giorgio has led her on, challenges him to a duel...

Sondheim's lush score seems to never pause for a moment, using several leitmotifs to keep the music swirling around the mind only coming to rest really for two wonderfully pure love songs - or declarations of intent - sung by Fosca "I Wish I Could Forget You" and "Loving You". I defy anyone to listen to the score and then make the complaint that Sondheim is not a romantic composer.

The production has no interval so the plot's momentum is allowed to sweep one along unlike the original London production which had an interval after the scene where Fosca dictated the letter to Giorgio and which completely destroyed any intensity.

The usual Donmar design suspects are also much in evidence - Christopher Oram's stark set of three rounded double doorways beneath a painted faded mural of classical lovers is aided immeasurably by Neil Austin's romantic lighting, grey/blue for the outpost or warm sunlight for Clara's Milan.

The role of Fosca demands an actress who can turn on the intensity and Elena Roger can certainly do that. The Donmar's artistic director Michael Grandage is getting a lot of use out of her: she was his Evita in the West End, his Piaf at the Donmar and beyond, now she is Fosca... he must be scouring the shelves to see what will fit her ripe personality next as she ain't the easiest performer to fit in a show. One might suggest Googie Gomez in THE RITZ!

Her intensity and heavy accent at first pull the focus a little as there are no other attempts at Italian accents in the cast and I *did* fight hard to get the images of Edith Piaf, Rita Moreno and Liliane Montevecchi from colliding in my mind but slowly the intensity became muted and she had a wonderful quality of stillness in her solo numbers, you could feel the audience holding it's breath as she sang them.

She has been unfairly picked on by some - yes Whingers - but I am glad she played the role - it could have been Jenna Russell playing another Sondheim female role in an 'ecky thump' Northern accent.David Thaxton was new to me and I thought he excelled in the role of Giorgio, he has a fine singing voice and although his singing slightly overshadowed his acting he is still a name for the future methinks. Scarlett Strallen played Clara and, despite a worrying degree of Langfordism (Bonnie is her aunt) in voice and expression, she also was fine.

There was excellent support from Allan Corduner as the meddlesome Dr. Tambourri and David Birrell as Colonel Ricci. Birrell was sporting an eye patch from the incident in early October when the gun he uses in the duel scene misfired and led to him being hospitalised and a few shows cancelled as the Donmar has a no understudy policy. I should praise too the nine piece orchestra under the musical direction of Alan Williams for their rich, full sound.

It may not be one of Sondheim's more popular works but you will find PASSION a haunting experience if you can get a ticket.