*Contains spoilers for the show so… don’t say I didn’t warn you*

It’s not often you see a really special piece of theatre that changes your life. This show has made me laugh, cry, but mostly it has restored my faith in a humanity that I often question we still have.

Come From Away is an ensemble musical, telling stories from multiple perspectives of what happened when 38 planes were diverted to a small town in Newfoundland, Canada on 9/11. The size of their town’s population doubled in one day, but that didn’t stop the locals from making sure their stranded visitors were welcome. It’s a beautiful story that shows even in the darkest of times there is love and kindness.

So I thought I would share with you some of the moments in the show that warmed my heart the most. The characters are all based on real people and experiences, and you can now watch the proshot on Apple TV+. Thanks to my friends who brainstormed this with me last night.

1. “and that’s how we started speaking the same language”

Out of fear, a group of African people refuse to leave the bus that’s taking them from the airport into town. They don’t speak the language, don’t know what’s happening, and don’t know where they are. Garth does some quick thinking when he sees one of them holding a Bible, and uses it to communicate across the language barrier and ease their fears. “Be anxious for nothing” he quotes. You can find this moment on the cast recording during ‘Darkness and Trees (reprise)’.

2. Beulah and Hannah’s friendship

Hannah spends most of her time in Newfoundland trying to get in contact with her son who is a firefighter in New York. During this time, it is Beulah that attempts to comfort her with silly jokes to cheer her up. After discovering her son has died when she makes it back home, the first person she calls is Beulah. Even though Hannah lost one important person in her life, she gained another.

3. Lady who breaks the law to save the animals

In the middle of this crisis, everyone is too focused on helping the stranded passengers to think about the potential animals also onboard these planes. Newfoundlander Bonnie takes it upon herself to enter a restricted area of the airport to find any animals and make sure they are fed and cared for.

4. Moment of silence in the gas station

It’s a national moment of silence for America and the people of Newfoundland show their respect by upholding this silence too. Kevin T remarks that he just doesn’t know if this would have happened in a busy gas station in the United States on behalf of another country. But it happened there.

5. Nick finding someone to share his life with

When everyone is calling their loved ones to tell them they’re okay, Nick calls his head office as he just thought “someone should know.” I have never understood why the audience often laughs at this part because it’s actually really sad. Nick is lonely, but in the middle of this tragedy he finds Diane who will later get married to. They are still happily together today.

6. Captain Beverley Bass and the sky

Beverley always wanted to be a pilot in a world where that wasn’t an accessible career for women. She pioneered aviation for women by becoming the first woman to be a captain of a commercial plane. The song “Me and the Sky” documents her struggles with climbing that ladder, and her sorrow at the one thing she loves more than anything being used as a weapon. At the end of the show, she thanks passengers for still flying despite the fear that remains after the 9/11 attacks. She refuses to let the acts of terrorists take away the thing she loves the most.

7. Feeling safe and welcomed

Bob frequently expresses his concerns about his wallet and is sceptical when he’s told to just go take people’s barbecues from their back garden. The longer he spends there, the more he begins to let his guard down as he realises that no one has malicious intentions. The community made him feel safe and welcome.

8. Kevin T encouraging his employees to do good deeds

Every year, Kevin T gives his employees a day off and $100 to go and do good deeds for other people. The kindness shown to him in Gander inspired him to pass it on.

9. Kiss the fish!

‘Screech-in’ is the name of an optional ceremony performed by Newfoundlanders for people who aren’t from there (known as a ‘come from away’) so they can become an honorary Newfoundlander. It involves drinking an alcoholic drink known as ‘screech’ and kissing a cod fish. The locals welcome the plane people in becoming part of their community.

10. The prayer scene

This is one of my favourite scenes in the entire show. A Muslim man is shown a quiet place he can pray without all the stares, a Jewish man is able to confess to a Rabbi about the faith he has hidden all his life after fleeing persecution in Europe, and Hannah asks Beulah to help her find a Catholic church so she can pray for her son. The scene beautifully shows characters being able to openly express their different faiths.

11. Love and acceptance

Kevin T and Kevin J at the beginning of the show are concerned about others knowing they’re in a relationship. They don’t know how liberal or conservative the town is. They think they’re being subtle but everyone around them seemingly already knows. The locals and fellow passengers make them aware they have no issue with it, which puts them at ease. In fact, they begin to realise they’ve landed in the “gayest town in Newfoundland.”

12. The entire community coming together to help strangers

The people of Newfoundland invited these strangers into their homes, clothed them, fed them, and helped them phone loved ones. At no point did they ever ask for anything in return. They just did it because they saw people in need and knew they had a duty to help.

13. They give back to the people of Newfoundland

Despite not asking for anything in return, the plane people left donations in their thousands to the community that had been so kind to them. The locals had given them so much of their time and resources and so they donated money back to them as a thank you.

14. The plane people go back to visit Gander

They have never forgotten the kindness shown to them and every year they celebrate it. Come From Away ends with the 10th Anniversary reunion in Gander where they celebrate the friendships and connections made in spite of the horrors going on elsewhere: “tonight we honour what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found.”

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What’s your favourite moment of Come From Away?

I did some cheeky little covers of a couple of songs from this musical a while back on my YouTube. Feel free to check them out here (enjoy my questionable vocal abilities and moody expressions as I get confused about the chords):
Me and the Sky
Costume Party