Review: Come From Away

Review: Come From Away  | Arvada Center | Arvada, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

The Arvada Center closes its season with a Come From Away that steps forward like a hand extended—steady, warm, and unmistakably communal under the generous direction of Associate Artistic Director Kenny Moten. David Nehls, one of the community’s most trusted musical hands, gives the score its heartbeat—bright, propulsive, and rooted—while Jessica Hindley threads bodies and chairs into patterns that feel less like choreography and more like communal muscle memory. In a moment when genuine humanity can feel in short supply, this creative team leans into the show’s open‑armed spirit, building an ensemble engine that runs on kindness, momentum, and the quiet miracle of strangers choosing to show up.

With book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away began at Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Project in 2012 before expanding into a full production and moving through major pre‑Broadway stops at La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Ford’s Theatre, and Toronto. It opened on Broadway on March 12, 2017, earning seven Tony nominations and a win for Christopher Ashley’s direction, later adding multiple Olivier Awards—including Best New Musical—during its West End run.

The musical traces the story of thousands of passengers unexpectedly diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11, and the townspeople who take them in. As fear, grief, and uncertainty settle over the stranded travelers, the locals respond with generosity, humor, and open‑armed hospitality, creating a brief but extraordinary community forged in crisis.

Come From Away follows the people of Gander—Beulah(Sharon Kay White), Claude(Colin Alexander), Oz(Jake Bell), Bonnie(Mary McGroary) — as they scramble to care for the thousands of “plane people” diverted to Newfoundland on 9/11. Among the stranded are Beverley Bass(Kelsey Crismon), the trailblazing American Airlines pilot; Nick (Ralph Prentice Daniel), and Diane(Megan Van De Hey), who stumble into an unexpected romance; Bob(Randy Chalmers), hilariously out of his depth; and Hannah(Nicole deBree), desperate for news of her firefighter son. The show also traces the unraveling relationship of Kevin T. (Jeremy Rill) and Kevin J. (Justin Milner), a gay couple whose bond strains under the weight of crisis. As Janice(Elizabeth Harlen), the rookie reporter, tries to capture the unfolding story, the townsfolk and passengers forge a temporary community built on casserole, kindness, and the stubborn insistence that strangers deserve care.

The cast moves fluidly through multiple roles, slipping between townspeople, passengers, pilots, and parents with an ease that strengthens the cohesive ensemble Moten has assembled. That constant shifting becomes part of the show’s emotional architecture, each actor carrying several threads at once yet never losing clarity. Moten’s direction leans into that shared responsibility; he shapes the production with a steady, human‑scaled touch, trusting the ensemble to build the world moment by moment. Instead of pushing for size, he focuses on connection and intention, guiding the evening with a generosity that lets the actors—and the audience—find the story’s heartbeat together.

I wish there were room to single out every actor for the excellent work on stage, but in a cast this uniformly strong, that becomes impossible; still, a few performances naturally rise into focus. Sharon Kay White gives Beulah a radiant steadiness, her warmth anchoring the Gander community with a touch that feels both maternal and mischievous. Nicole deBree brings a quiet, aching dignity to Hannah, her restraint making each moment of worry for her son land with piercing clarity. Kelsey Crismon offers a beautifully calibrated Beverley Bass—confident, grounded, and carrying the weight of her history with a pilot’s poise and a human’s vulnerability. As Claude, Colin Alexander embodies small‑town pragmatism and generosity, shaping the mayor into a figure of calm, good‑humored leadership. And Jeremy Rill, as Kevin T., charts the character’s emotional unraveling with sharp precision, funny one moment, brittle the next, and ultimately deeply affecting. Together, they exemplify the ensemble strength that defines Moten’s production.

The music, under the assured baton of David Nehls, gains its lift from a superb seven‑piece orchestra that plays with the kind of precision and heart this score demands. There’s a driving clarity to “Welcome to the Rock,” the opening number snapping the audience to attention with its percussive stomp and communal roar. “Me and the Sky” becomes a quiet showstopper, the band giving Kelsey Crismon just enough sonic runway for Beverley’s story to crest and break with emotional force. And in “Prayer,” the musicians braid voices and textures into something that feels both intimate and expansive, a reminder of how this score holds grief and grace in the same breath.

The physical production demonstrates its own subtle ingenuity. Scenic designer Kevin Nelson creates the world from old luggage, stacking and shaping it into a backdrop that feels both inventive and surprisingly evocative. Sliding panels reveal the orchestra at key moments, a choice that integrates the musicians into the story rather than keeping them separate. It’s a creative, fully developed design that supports the narrative at every turn. Shannon McKinney’s lighting enhances that world with thoughtful shifts of color and focus, guiding the audience’s attention with a sensitivity that warrants genuine praise. Nicole Watts’s costume design is impressively flexible, using small, carefully chosen accessories to help actors switch between characters with clarity and ease.

What lingers most in this Come From Away is its unwavering belief in humanity, the simple, stubborn insistence that people can choose generosity even in the darkest hours. Under Kenny Moten’s attentive direction and David Nehls’s vibrant musical leadership, the story lands with both emotional clarity and a kind of communal lift. Paired with a cast this deeply attuned to one another, the result is a production that feels alive, compassionate, and unmistakably necessary. As the Arvada Center closes its season, this is a must‑see—an evening that reminds you what people are capable of when they decide to show up for one another.

For information and tickets: https://arvadacenter.org/events/come-from-away