Maltz Jupiter’s Popular Come From Away is “Life-Affirming”

Photos by Jason Nuttle Photography.

By Britin Haller

Come From Away, now playing at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, is a Tony Award-winning musical that comes with quite a reputation, and while it’s not for everyone, it’s fair to say its reverence is well-deserved.

Based on a true story, the premise is thus: In the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001, thirty-eight commercial planes are diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, nearly doubling its population overnight and creating quite a challenge for the local townsfolk. No one knows how long the visitors will be there, plus it’s cold in Newfoundland, even in September.

With non-English speaking passengers, multiple animals including chimpanzees, and ninety wish kids going to Disney World on those flights, the kind citizens of Gander more than have their hands full feeding, clothing, and even communicating with the weary and confused people on board.

Come From Away is not a story about the attacks themselves, rather what happened when ordinary people were thrown together under extraordinary circumstances.

The production cleverly uses a stacked cast of twelve actors who play dozens of characters, including the frightened stranded flyers, and the island residents who suddenly find themselves hosting seven thousand confused strangers. Roles are often switched with the addition of a hat, a jacket, or a vocal dialect.

This is a collective musical, not a lone-star vehicle, with the heroes of the story being all of them. The cast is made up of many of the finest thespians South Florida has to offer who are clearly an ensemble team working as one cohesive unit. There are no weak links.

Leonard E. Sullivan is a crowd favorite who gets all the best lines, Lindsey Corey (who must be relieved to have such a role after coming off her long run as the over-the-top star of Island City Stage’s Ruthless), is a hit because who doesn’t love an animal lover, Bruce Linser as nice-guy loner Nick, and Megan Loomis as his love interest Diane are sweet together, Laura Turnbull as Gander’s welcoming matriarch Beulah tells the best bad jokes, Don Noble as Mayor Claude is the glue holding all of them together, and Alex Jorth and Kevin Hincapie are simply adorable as a gay couple who are both named Kevin.

Others who touch our hearts are Dayna Jarae Dantzler whose fireman son is missing from the World Trade Center, Torie D’Alessandro whose nervousness as a new television reporter covering such a monumental event is understandable, Seth Eliser who has one of those you just want to pinch his cheek kind of personalities, and Autumn Hurlbert whose standout moment in “Me and the Sky” had us wondering if Kristin Chenoweth had suddenly taken over the Maltz.

Staging this musical is no easy feat with a dozen actors in constant movement, but Director Jennifer Werner, who has overseen numerous companies in putting on Come From Away, obviously knows her stuff. Besides appearing on stage, the multi-talented Leonard E. Sullivan also serves as dance captain and associate director.

Due to the vast number of ethnicities, a multitude of accents are needed to be believable, and Dialect Coach Jennifer Burke delivers the goods. Costumes by K. April Soroko are a mixture of everyday street clothes, and flight crew and religious attire. The functional set by Nate Bertone is a bare curved wooden wall with simple props like a bar, tables, and chairs. Lighting by Kirk Bookman and Dalton Hamilton, and sound by Scott Stauffer, flowed wll.

Five-time Carbonell Award Winner Eric Alsford seems to be everywhere lately and with good reason. As music director, he heads up an orchestra of nine who quite literally never miss a toe-tapping beat. In fact, the Celtic sounds and jig dances are so on point that several times it felt like déjà vu from the Maltz’s last season’s musical production of Once.

Favorite numbers are the intro “Welcome to the Rock” which features the entire cast and gorgeous harmonies, “Prayer” with Alex Jorth and Dayna Jarae Dantzler in a chill-inducing moment, “I Am Here,” again with Dantzler who has a simply lovely voice, “Stop the World,” a charming duet with Bruce Linser and Megan Loomis, Autumn Hurlbert again with a gorgeous solo in “28 Hours/Wherever We Are,” and “Screech In” with Don Noble and Company bringing down the house with its folk-style energy.

Worth the price of admission alone is seeing the six men dressed like doctors and … well … you have to see it to believe it. Cover your eyes if you’re easily offended, but don’t, because you’ll miss the funniest bit in the show.

Because there is no intermission, acts, or even scenes really, some songs overlap, characters interrupt each other, and the action flows without traditional blackouts. One moment you are laughing at the visitors performing a Gander tradition of kissing a codfish on the mouth, the next you’re watching a character quietly processing devastating news. The transitions are seamless, and in case you were worried, the horror of that day remains completely offstage.

If there is a critique to be made, it is that Come From Away sometimes seems disingenuous. Were the people of Gander really this nice? According to online sources, they were. The epilogue wrap-up with everyone telling us what happened after their lives went back to normal is nifty and much-needed.

Come From Away was created by married Canadian couple Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It opened on Broadway in 2017 and went on to earn seven Tony nominations, winning for Best Direction, not surprising since it’s so intricate with so many moving parts.

But even still, there are certain shows with a reputation so beloved they’re immediately on notice. With word-of-mouth descriptions like “life-affirming,” “necessary,” and “you will cry,” any critic worth their salt will walk in already suspicious, because if you’re going to demand a standing ovation before the curtain call begins, you’d better deserve it.

And while Come From Away didn’t produce any tears here, it did produce awe and gratitude for the Maltz’s Producing Artistic Director and Chief Executive Andrew Kato who continues to showcase an eclectic mix of productions that broaden our horizons, and for the phenomenal local actors who proved once again how very lucky we are to have them in our midst. May they continue to break legs at the Maltz, and all over South Florida, for a lifetime to come.

Come From Away plays through January 25 at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, FL (immediately east of A1A); Shows are nightly Tues-Fri @ 7:30 p.m. and Sat @ 8 p.m. Wed, Sat and Sun matinee @ 2 p.m. Limited tickets still available. Running time approximately 105 minutes with no intermission. Prices starting at $50. Call 561-575-2223, or visit jupitertheatre.org.  

Britin Haller is a journalist, editor-for-hire, and an author who serves on the board of directors for the Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter. As a celebrity wrangler, Brit regularly rubbed elbows with movie, sports, and rock stars, and as a media escort, she toured with NY Times bestselling authors. After appearing in local musicals and all-state choir, Britin studied theater at Indiana University (a Big 10 college) and the University of Evansville (Rami Malek’s alma mater).