Thanks to frequent flier miles stacked on frequent flier miles, and an incredibly early break (thanks, Rhodes), I somehow managed to snag an $11 plane ticket to New York City for a mere 48 hour trip during spring break. While there, my mom and I decided to catch a Broadway show, and got tickets to see the musical Come From Away. Neither of us knew much about this show other than the synopsis we read on the way to the theatre, but were absolutely blown away by it and the story it portrayed.
Come From Away tells a story from September 11th that many people don’t know about. During the attacks, the United States air space was shut down, and planes were diverted in every direction. This musical tells the story of that day, and about a tiny town in Newfoundland, Canada that took in 7,000 passengers from all over the world, with absolutely no questions asked. At the beginning of the show, the cast tells the story of learning of the news, and the preparations the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland took to get their town ready to take in 7,000 people. At this point, the passengers being diverted there had absolutely no idea what was going on, and the citizens of the town didn’t know much more. While the musical was amazing and unforgettable, it wasn’t the actors, choreography, or the music that had me hooked: instead, it was the message. It portrayed the general goodness of humanity, something so often forgotten about amidst the business of life.
This tiny town on the edge of North America took in thousands and thousands of stranded passengers, with absolutely no questions asked. No one knew what was going on, and no one needed to know to help. There was no common denominator in anyone except for one thing: they were all human. They all understood tragedy, and they all knew what needed to be done. The show outlined the entirety of the stay in Gander, Newfoundland, from the preparation, week-long stay, aftermath, and even their return ten years later. Come From Away showed the bonds that were formed between strangers out of tragedy, the growth it brought, and the stories and experiences that were shared.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article with ten stories of good news that might have gotten missed in 2018. So often we miss the goodness of life as we are being fed negative news. With all of the horrible news of tragedies and scandals floating around in the news, this musical served as a reminder of hope, and of the goodness of humanity. It showed the extent to which people will go for others, and how tragedy affects the world around us. It was a story of friendship, love, and acceptance. What came out of an act of hate, turned out to be an immense act of love. Come From Away was a show that served as a reminder that no matter what race, religion, gender, or sexuality we are, first, we are all human, which is something that we all need to remember some days.