Review date: 3rd September 2025
Short version: It’s a beautiful show and Dreams and Wishes do it full justice. Go see it! This is somewhat of a rave review!
Tickets here: https://mkaos.co.uk/whats-on/come-from-away/
Now for the long version!
Every now and then, a show comes along that you know you have fallen in love with and will want to see again and again. Such was the experience when I saw Come From Away in London a few years ago. A few years later and I saw it again at the big, pro MK Theatre near Xscape – it was still a gorgeous, vital experience but I felt the stage was just too big to give it that intimate feel.
Fast forward a year and I’m back in Gander, Newfoundland for Dreams and Wishes at the Venue MK. This is the first amateur production of the show that I’ve seen (but surely not the last). The venue is large (I reckon 400 seats) but narrow enough that the cast never feels lost on the stage.
If you’ve not seen it, it’s about a town on the Canadian island that, on September 11th 2001 doubled in size overnight when 38 planes were diverted there following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
But it’s about far more than just being “The 9/11 Musical”. This is about community and the beauty of friendships formed in the worst circumstances – about a coming together in adversity and sadness to create something beautiful and vital and just perfectly “human”.
Dreams and Wishes rehearsed this highly complex show over 3 months. For a 100 minute, one act musical where it feels like the entire cast never leave the stage, this is a small amount of time but I’m pleased to say D&W pulled it off, and with some style!
This was a brilliantly cast production, for starters, with everyone multi-rolling over incredibly intricate “tracks” through the show. It just felt right – and that’s a lot of the battle of doing a show based on real people in a real situation. I knew some of the cast (and production team for that matter, but it’s local theatre, so of course I did!) but from the first song they disappeared into their parts, as did the rest of the cast. I won’t single anyone out – this was a tight show with a terrific ensemble with everyone doing their work with joy, which was infectious. I laughed, I cried (because of course I did!) and I was there with them.
The music is amazing for this show, with a mostly folk feel, and this feels entirely in keeping with the story being told. The cast fully did it justice – the harmonies in particular were first rate – and there are moments where I got tingles/shivers just listening to them. And yes, tears definitely formed at times from the sheer theatrical beauty of it all.
There were times when I felt a line was missed here and there and occasionally a minor plot point was dropped due to the speed at which the words came. But I suspect that’s first night jitters and things will settle down for the remaining four performances. Sound was good overall but I thought the treble/high end was a touch too aggressive. Lighting was spot on (I could’ve done without the very bright audience-facing flashes, but that’s personal preference!)
My last comments are about the band, which was tucked into the stage right area and partially visible. Conducted by my good friend Leigh Smith (stepping in at the last minute), the band sounded spot on to me, complementing the score with a pitch perfect interpretation. There are really difficult pick ups for this show, and the music doesn’t really stop. I’m pleased (delighted in fact) that they assembled a top class band who were more than up to tackling the score. Well done everyone.
My lasting impression was of an enormous, cheesy grin on my face as the flights returned to American soil, and then again as many of the passengers returned to Gander to celebrate the 10th anniversary, reminding us what was found when so many people were lost. The show, and this cast, took me through so many emotions last night and it’s a testament to their energy and their skill that I’m able to write this review.
Highly, highly recommended. It runs until Saturday evening with a matinee – go see it – you won’t be disappointed. Tickets are available here.