In the wake of 9/11. When the whole world stopped. Everyone remembers where they were when it happened. Stories of that day have been told by so many, but this one is different. 

7,000 passengers arrive in a small town in Canada and their lives are changed forever.

I was lucky enough to be invited to come and review Come From Away at the Wales Millennium Centre. And last night I went from not knowing anything about this show, to it easily becoming one of my favourites. This is a show that everyone has to see.

We follow the story of the 7,000 passengers that were up in the air during 9/11 and had to make an emergency landing in the town of Gander, Newfoundland. With the rest of the world in a state of emergency, this small community rallied together to help them in any way they could. We see the people who were seemingly stuck on the edge of the world, trying to keep spirits high and show us the true meaning of community. From the first female Captain, a strong-willed town Mayor and the mother of a New York firefighter, this show casts a spotlight on real life people, as we get a glimpse of what it was like for them during one of the events in American history. 

As I said, I didn’t really know much about this show going into it so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this high energy, fast-paced performance took me by surprise. Despite the story having such a dark backdrop, this show was surprisingly hilarious. With quick-witted humour wrapped in the veil of this tragedy. It’s a hard balance to strike but this show managed to do it perfectly. 

A round-of-applause has to go to the entire cast. Keeping up its infectious high energy throughout and delivering incredible performances. The show was jam-packed with musical talent. With Natasha J Barnes as Janie (and others), Daniel Crowder as Nick (and others), Mark Dugdale as Kevin T (and others), Kirsty Malpass as Bonnie (and others), Amanda Henderson as Beulah (and others), Kirsty Hoiles as Diane (and others), Oliver Jacobson as Oz (and others), Dale Mathurin as Bob (and others), Nicholas Pound as Claude (and others), Sara Poyzer as Beverley (and others), Bree Smith as Hannah (and others) and Jamal Zulfiqar as Kevin J (and others). Along with the onstage band: Andrew Corcoran, Phil Cornwell, Philippe Barnes, Ruth Elder, Yue Miyagi, Jack Pennifold, Derrick Taylor, Beth Higham-Edwards and Rory Clark. Before the cast could even take their first bows, the whole audience was up on their feet in a well-deserved standing ovation. I’ve never seen anything like it. 

Overall, this show and its cast gave the audience everything they could want in a show. From the award-winning minds of Director Christopher Ashley alongside Olivier award-winning writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, this almost unbelievable story is brought to life on stage. With an outstanding score, including songs such as, ‘Welcome To The Rock’, ‘Lead Us Out Of The Night’, ‘ I Am Here’ and ‘Me And The Sky’, this clash of disaster and salvation will tug at your heart strings. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is not to be missed!

Come From Away will be at the Wales Millennium Centre until 6th April and tickets are selling out fast, so get yours now!

You can find out more about what’s going on at the WMC on their website, Facebook and Instagram.

And make sure to check out the official Come From Away website, Facebook and Instagram.