Come to the Home of Come From Away

The Broadway musical Come From Away, is one of the hottest productions being performed today, not only in New York City but also in London, on tour in theaters across North America and soon in Melbourne, Australia.

It’s set in the town of Gander on the Atlantic-facing island of Newfoundland, about as far east as one can travel on the North American continent (Greenland is due north). Its timeline begins on 9/11/2001 when the Federal Aviation Administration shut down its airspace, diverting more than 4,000 planes to nearby airports. Inbound flights from Europe were rerouted to Canada. This translated to 38 planes carrying close to 7,000 passengers landing at Gander International Airport (a former WWII military post) and descending upon a tiny town and surrounding communities, home to only 10,000 residents.

Regardless of the ratio, passengers and crew were soon made to feel at home. Initially, they were not allowed to leave the planes; and as cell phones were the exception rather than the rule back then, most were not aware of the circumstances that entailed the shut-down. Surprisingly, it was no problem for Newfoundlanders, for in their easy-going way they systemically provided bedding, meals, showers, pretty much everything, and that included the local Walmart opening its doors and serving up merchandise – gratis. More importantly, however, were the shoulders for crying on provided by the locals over the five-day period.

Inspiration for Broadway

When they learned of Gander and its impromptu response to the 9/11 tragedy, musical theater writers and husband-and-wife team, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, traveled there on the 10th anniversary of the event to interview key residents and returning passengers. They were on the lookout for a first-hand account of the experience. The collaborative result has been described as the transformation of “more than 16,000 stories into a 100-minute musical using 12 actors.”

After seeing the show in New York and being impressed with this touching display of kindness and empathy, I myself traveled to Gander to see if this “too-good-to-be-true” tale depicted the norm or merely a one-off. In meeting real-life townsfolk portrayed in Come From Away (named after the Newfoundland phrase for a visitor) my experience affirmed the actuality of the region’s hospitality.

True Life Characters

Gander is a place where you may just happen on a random assortment of the show’s characters. Oz Fudge (yes, his real name), one of the town’s two police constables in 2001, frequents the Gander Bread Box & Cafe, a casual eatery known for regional specialties such as toutons (a made-from-scratch muffin/crumpet-like pancake). This real-life character seems almost chosen from a casting call for a colorful small-town policeman. He’s open, honest and brimming with stories.

Beulah Cooper (the show’s character Beulah Davis – a compilation of several residents), so warm she hugs before a hello, provides insight into her relationship with New York-bound passenger Hannah O’Rourke, whose firefighter son was missing on that fateful day (later declared deceased). Beulah’s son was also a firefighter (Aubrey, who sadly passed away in 2017), so the two bonded quickly and became best friends. Their stage characters always sit hand in hand next to each other in the production. Traveling to various opening nights as guests, some of the actual locals and passengers have seen the production multiple times – many more than 30.

Fish, Cheese and the Screech

Should you pop into Thingamajiggers Pub & Eatery, there may be a chance to chat over a beer with Brian Mosher, the community television volunteer on which the play’s rookie TV reporter Janice Mosher is based (it’s a combo of Brian and his 2001 colleague Janice Goudie). Thingamajiggers (pronounced ting-a-ma-jiggers) is known for cod au gratin, a beloved regional dish. In the play it’s called fish and cheese and it’s on the menu here and just about everywhere. Better yet, the pub is the place to go if interested in being “screeched in,” an initiation ceremony to become an honorary Newfoundlander. Though each ceremonial rite is different depending on who performs it, it seems to typically include kissing a large codfish (on the mouth), downing a shot of Newfoundland-crafted Screech Rum, and having great fun.

Meet the Flynns

Derm and Dianne Flynn (Derm being the mayor of the nearby town of Appleton at that time) have taken the experience to an interactive level with their tour. Called Meet the Flynns, participants are invited into their home to chat, enjoy a-cup-a along with a taste of Newfoundland and visit the nearby Derm Flynn Riverfront Peace Park, which is home to a Twin Towers’ steel beam. Derm is a featured character in the play and the Flynn’s residence was home to six of “the plane people” (another local reference). Like others in the community whose lives were placed on pause for days (many of those sleepless), when asked what she and her neighbors did on day five when everyone left, Dianne responded: “We cried.” The towns seemed empty and the world seemed different.

In the end, it was a definitive endorsement by the townsfolk for whom the creators first previewed the piece in Gander that sums up the situation and its subsequent success. The creators were nervous for a debut before the people by whom it was inspired but Gander’s verdict was unanimous. Come From Away nailed it!