‘Come From Away’ debuts in Sioux Falls to powerful response

This paid piece is sponsored by Washington Pavilion Management Inc.

In “Steel Magnolias,” the character Truvy states, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

That statement also might be attributed to Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the married Canadians who wrote the book and score for “Come From Away” that’s on stage through Sunday in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall at the Washington Pavilion. They offer plentiful laughter and tears in their award-winning musical, first performed on Broadway in 2017.

A first-night audience rewarded the national traveling company of a dozen stage actors with a standing ovation and almost to a person stayed through the song performed by the musical’s musicians after the cast had left the stage.

“Come From Away” begins the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. In the aftermath, planes were rerouted and quickly brought back to earth. That meant the community of Gander, Newfoundland, home to about 9,000 people, suddenly found themselves hosting about 7,000 bewildered, frightened and angry passengers.

“We honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what was found,” one character says in the musical. The isolated community, once home to the largest airport in North America, dealt with people from many other countries and found themselves facing unexpected culture clashes and a round-the-clock response as they fed and housed the passengers and crew.

The true stories related in “Come From Away” include a romance that was found; a relationship that was lost; a tribute to American Airlines pilot Beverley Bass (played by Marika Aubrey); the agonized mother of a New York City firefighter (Danielle K. Thomas) and the Gander mother of a firefighter who befriends her (Julie Johnson); and a man who must learn that when you “steal” someone’s barbecue grill in Gander, they’ll offer you a cup of tea in return.

The scenery is simple: tall trees on either side of the stage indicate the woods of Newfoundland, while tables and chairs serve those functions in a variety of settings. Watch, for instance, the scene where lighting turns into the “computer screens” of a control tower and a shifting of chairs becomes an airplane.

The backdrop painted in blues, grays and white could be the the September sky or the white caps of the Atlantic Ocean. In any case, this interrupted journey today offers us, in the words of Regina Ruhberg, the Pavilion director of performances and events, “compassion, humanity and understanding for those around us.”

If you’re going

“Come From Away” will be performed at the Washington Pavilion through Sunday. Show times are 7:30 p.m. daily with additional matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It is part of the 2021-22 Pavilion Performance Series. Tickets can be purchased online.

Washington Pavilion announces next season’s Broadway shows