A stone’s throw from the Rotterdam theater where the musical come from away premiered, riots broke out a day later. Hooligans found destroying a city center the way to get rid of their corona frustrations. You never know how you’ll react when the shit hits, but you just hope it’s more like the people of Gander on September 11, 2001.
come from away tells the true story of this Canadian community, where 38 planes landed when airspace was closed after the New York attacks. The small community suddenly had to accommodate thousands of travelers. Such an invasion of foreigners seems like the recipe for an uprising, but in Gander the come from aways welcome with open arms. Everyone put their shoulders to the wheel and it was all about collecting enough clothes and beds, cooking huge amounts of food and transporting the guests to different towns.
romkom
come from away premiered in 2013, played on Broadway and the West End, and won multiple awards. The performance is sometimes reminiscent of a romkom, in which simple storylines are intertwined. For example, a British passenger falls in love with an American (nicely played by Ad Knippels and Rosalie de Jong); a woman (Joanne Telesford) desperately tries to find out if her son, who is a firefighter in New York, is still alive; and an asylum owner (Lieke van den Broek) takes care of the animals in the planes, including a pregnant bonobo.
come from away is not a spectacle, but revolves around the story. The musical, directed by Antoine Uitdehaag, has an intimate character. There are no major costume or set changes: with minimal resources, the actors, who all play multiple roles, bring the characters to life. This takes place in a setting by Roos Veenkamp: an amphitheater in which the orchestra looks out high over the playing field. By stacking wooden blocks on top of each other or placing them in specific arrangements, settings are quickly and easily created: from a pub to an airplane or a bus. The choreographies fit in well with this: these are powerful movement sequences, in which hand gestures are used beautifully.
The casting is refreshing, with not only the usual musical stars. Although there is nothing to criticize about famous faces such as Wim Van Den Driessche and Willemijn Verkaik. Among other things, Verkaik’s performance of ‘My flight through the air’ – a song in which you hear the echo of the ‘I laugh at gravity’ is wonderful. Wicked (her big break).
Partly due to the music, in which Irish influences resound, there is plenty of positivity and zest for life flowing from the stage. The kindness of the people of Gander is moving and gives a hopeful look at humanity in times of crisis. They keep repeating that everyone in their situation would do the same, that when a disaster occurs, everyone chooses connection.
#Zest #life #bursts #scene