Come From Away at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

A joyous display of the power of humanity and community in times of hardship. This show shows the best of human nature when faced with adversity and the influence helping others can have on the wider world. This sentiment is wonderfully shown not just by Come From Away but also by Lydia Greatrix (@theatricallydia) who is running a Pay It Forward to raise money to help the areas surrounding each venue in honour of Laura Townsend whilst spreading the message of Come From Away.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

Come From Away flaunts a fabulous set designed by Kelly Devine (Musical Staging) and Beowulf Boritt (Scenic Design) and I love the incorporation of the trees as the lighting rigs to set the scene whilst also providing lighting for the show courtesy of Howell Binkley (Lighting Designer). The set and props support the ever-changing nature of this show from scene to scene. However, apart from chairs being moved, the majority of the scene setting is done through the cast members who use physical theatre to portray various locations such as buses, planes and of course Tim Horton’s. The show’s choreography by Richard J. Hinds (Associate Choreographer) complements the story and is able to add to both spoken and sung moments by adding another layer of storytelling through movement, which for me added to the power that this show has to affect the audience and bring about a strong emotional response whilst watching.

This show features an ensemble cast, all of whom play multiple roles. The cast for my performance was as follows; Angeline Bell (Janice & Others), Daniel Crowder (Nick, Doug & Others), Mark Dugdale (Kevin T, Garth & Others), Rosie Glossop (Bonnie & Others), Amanda Henderson (Beulah & Others), Kirsty Hoiles (Diane & Others), Alyn Hawke (Oz & Others), Dale Muthurin (Bob & Others), Daniel Cane (Claude & Others), Sara Poyzer (Beverley, Annette & Others), Bree Smith (Hannah & Others) and Jamal Zulfiqar (Kevin J, Ali & Others). A couple of standout moments for me were Bree Smith's performance as Hannah, especially during I Am Here, Sara Poyzer's rendition of Me and the Sky and Amanda Henderson's fabulous renditions of Titanic (you’ll have to catch the show whilst it is on tour for more context). Bree Smith left me in awe of her talent during I Am Here with her perfect blend of vocals and characterisation creating a performance of sheer power that utterly moved me. Another standout performance that was able to move me was Sara Poyzer's rendition of Me and the Sky with such power in her voice and hope in her performance I felt able to connect with the character of Beverly Bass and understand how much the events that had transpired truly affect her and her place in a career that she loves. The entire cast is extremely talented both vocally and with regards to their acting ability as they portray this moving show so brilliantly and captivate the audience from start to finish, which is made more challenging due to the fact that this show is 1 hour and 40 minutes long without an interval. One of the most powerful moments that shows the power of community and humanity is Prayer as to me it shows the union of faith and hope despite austerity and fear and the prevailing of love in times surrounded by hate, this moment never fails to bring a tear to my eye due to the beauty of its staging which is a testament to the mind of Christopher Ashley (Director) and the cast's ability to perfectly present this moment to the audience.

Content Warnings:

I did not see any content warnings specific for this show at the theatre, however, Wolverhampton Grand does have a content warning list that is always up, but this unfortunately was not accurate for this show and did not represent nor prepare me for the themes represented within Come From Away. With regards to Come From Away, there were not any moments that I struggled with, however I did make note of moments or themes that may be challenging for some people, which are as follows:

The show follows the lives of those affected by 9/11, so this is a strong theme which is mentioned consistently
There are themes of loss
The show references potential homophobia, however, this theme is not presented within the show
The show uses bright and strobe lighting
The show has references to Racism and Islamophobia
The show references the Holocaust and Antisemitism

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer