20 Oct 2026
Deborah Heath joins Harpenden Musical Theatre Company at The Eric Morecambe Centre…
I expect we can all remember where we were during the Twin Towers tragedy. I watched bewildered from a portable television plonked on top of a colleague’s desk, realising that there was nothing I could usefully do to help the situation.
For the people of Gander, Newfoundland however, there was an awful lot they could do. Thirty-eight aeroplanes destined for the USA were diverted to their tiny town airport and the residents stepped in to offer the 7,000 passengers food, clothes and shelter. ‘Come From Away’ is the true story of how a diverse group of people came together at one of the difficult periods of modern history.
Firstly, I must say how much I admire HMTC for taking on the challenge of presenting this show. They have a strong track record for feelgood entertainment but a musical like this could easily fall flat if approached in the same way – it is meaty, it is incredibly sad and yet still carries with it an uplifting sense of joy and hope.
Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, it was originally created as an actor-musician show but HMTC present it with a traditional pit band, led by Keith Willis. I was absolutely delighted to be able to see the talented musicians in the corner of the stage (they are often hidden), giving a nod to the original concept.
The score is exquisitely penetrating with some gorgeous Irish folk strains. ‘Welcome to the Rock’ was a strong opener, ‘28 Hours/Wherever We Are’ captured the rising passenger panic well, and ‘Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace’, was tear-jerking. However, it was Beverley’s ‘Me and the Sky’ that really sent shivers down my spine.
The ensemble cast of 12 played around 40 roles between them and for that reason it is both difficult and possibly inappropriate to single out individual performers.
Instead, I will mention some of the most enjoyable character moments.
The episodic developing love story between Nick and Diane was presented with believable sensitivity and just the right spattering of humour.
Light relief was also peppered throughout with couple Kevin and Kevin and it was good to see the contrast when there were chinks in the armour.
A tiny section that caused much amusement in the auditorium was the quickfire representation of the many mayors by using a selection of different hats. The two most moving sections for me were Ali, talking about the shame he felt after being searched and Bonnie looking after the animals on board.
However, quite honestly, everyone shone in this show.
This was a great example of strong teamwork with everyone having their moment in the limelight. I must commend the acting team for creating three dimensional characters, even if they only had a few seconds to portray them.
Rob Hemmin’s set design was necessarily simple but beautifully realised– a log cabin-style communal space intently transported us to the Canadian setting. To represent a variety of settings, a collection of chairs and tables were moved like a smooth, well-oiled machine by the ensemble cast. One nice surprise was the hatch window that appeared on the back wall which gave a sense of life going on elsewhere in the airport.
Jason Allen-Lane’s choreography was on point throughout. There aren’t many full-on dance sections to this show (apart from the Irish jigs) but my goodness, every piece of movement was planned and delivered with precision, including the moving of props and scenery.
Chris Candy’s costume design had been carefully considered – it wasn’t just about finding pieces that looked fabulous but a range of token costume items that could be changed quickly as the actors moved from one role to the other. I particularly liked the random items of clothing donated by the general public of Gander.
Deborah Carroll’s props too were minimal in number but their efficiency wasn’t at the expense of strong design – the fish was particularly impressive!
In a moving end to the show, the audience were invited to join the ‘Pay It Forward 9/11’ initiative – performing three acts of kindness to strangers. This movement was instigated by passenger Kevin Tuerff in response to the generosity offered to him and his fellow passengers over the five-day period covered by this story. It was a sobering reminder that the story we had just witnessed was real.
To conclude, I wish I could recommend you to secure tickets for next week but sadly, this show was on for one week only. Instead, I can only encourage you to see ‘Come From Away’ if you ever get another opportunity and make sure you book a ticket for HMTC’s next show ‘Big Fish’ from March 17-20.
Photos by Richard Washbrooke
