Come From Away, presented by What We Did Next, tells the extraordinary true story of approximately 7,000 air-stranded aeroplane passengers and the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada that took them in.
During the world-shattering
episode of 9/11 on 11th September 2001, 38 planes unexpectedly
landed in Gander and the close-knit community of the small town opened their
doors and their hearts to strangers from across the world who were confused and
tired but also very angry and dispirited; they were the passengers from over thirty
different aeroplanes, having been diverted and ordered to land in rural, Gander
after the immediate closing of US air space.
This is the genuine story of
extraordinary kindness, bonding, and human spirited compassion. It incorporates
heart-warming music and humour whilst celebrating the importance of kindness in
the community when needed the most.
The production took place in a warehouse
unit without a stage with the audience at close quarters to the performing actors.
The set was almost bare except for two tables/desks and twelve chairs which
were used as props to portray various settings such as inside the airplane, a
bus and a church and the offices of various organisations in Gander.
This exhilarating musical
performance is an amateur performance worth its weight in gold, directed by
Alice McCormack with Stage Manager, Charlie Humphries. The cast are energetic, committed
and extremely talented; this is positively one of the best professionally
produced amateur shows I have had the pleasure to review. It is awash with devoted performers who are
all visibly compassionate about the story they are presenting and have empathy
for the characters they portray.
I am reluctant to single anyone out
for their performance as every one of the cast are to be commended on an extraordinary
team effort which included lots of humour in-between the heart-wrenching storytelling
and emotional, poignant scenes which at times came as somewhat of a relief as
emotions were running high throughout.
The cast tackled an abundance of dancing
very ably, choreographed by Rebekah Riley with a plethora of musical numbers whilst
costumes were reminiscent of the era and well thought through.
Excellent singing from all cast members
throughout with musical direction from Kira Hodson and the seven piece band at
the back of the stage throughout was a bonus.
Lighting was ‘spot on’ as were
the casts many accents. There were a few sound blips with some of the narrative
not being heard as sharply as it could have been sometimes due to the band
being overly loud at times and sometimes due to the many accents being tackled
and the abundance of movement during the piece but these can be forgiven as I’m
sure they will be rectified for future performances.
The show plays for approximately
100 minutes without an interval.
CAST:
Claude - Alex Firth-Clark
Kevin J - Omar Hussein
Kevin T - Ben Wallace
Nick - James Freedman
Oz - Jack Gloyens
Bob - Daniel Rodgers
Diane - Sarah-Jane Aston
Beulah - Emma Ray
Janice - Roz Gibson
Bonnie - Holly Lawless
Beverley - Sarah Mullis
Hannah - Pamela Devereux
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director - Alice McCormack
Producer - Catherine Bacon
Musical Director - Kira Hodson
Movement Director - Rebekah Riley
This production from What We Did Next runs at Make North Docks from 4th - 6th June 2026.
For more details and tickets see https://www.wwdn.co.uk
CONTENT WARNING: Mild references
to alcohol, sex and violence and some strong language. MTI rating: PG
This amateur production is
presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised
performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.co.uk
What We Did Next is a CIC based
in Liverpool. Their goal is to provide access to theatre and the arts across
Liverpool City Centre. Learn more at https://www.wwdn.co.uk
Reviewer – Anne Pritchard
On – 4th June 2026
