Come From Away

I saw segment on TV recently reporting on tourists going to Gander, Newfoundland where people are “nice.” Imagine that.  “Being Nice” is a tourist attraction, an antidote to all the negativity and non-niceness surrounding us on a daily basis. Particularly in the media.

Turns out this story is about the Canadian town of Gander, where planes were  rerouted immediately as North American airspace shut down on 9/11. By the end of the day, 7,000  "plane people" in 38 jets were waiting on the tarmac while the Red Cross, town councils and various churches strategized  the logistics of processing, feeding and bedding them down for the night.

Gander is not a huge town, not wealthy, with only basic infrastructure. Yet somehow thousands of stressed visitors of all ages, needs and languages were taken care of for a week after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

People opened their hearts and homes, cooking meals, offering rides, showers, and telephones. They scoured their closets to find, sheets, blankets,  pillows and towels, while stores donated such basics as as toothbrushes and underwear, and the school bus drivers, then on strike, paused to help out.

Ten years later, two Toronto writers. Irene Sankoff and David Hein visited for the Gander anniversary celebration, and were inspired by the dancing, music and the stories to write a script for a musical called Come From Away,

“Come From Away” is a Newfoundland expression for a foreigner, or someone from beyond the province. The musical articulates the compassion and kindness Newfoundlanders showed to strangers from all over the globe during events around 9/11.

The writers interviewed the two mayors, police, volunteers, an airline captain, passengers and others, Characters in the musical speak lines taken directly from those interviews. Before opening in New York, the cast and crew performed two sold-out shows in Gander's hockey arena.

Former Gander mayor Claude Elliott has been quoted: "The tragedy. What they must have been going through — so far away, can't get home, want to be home with their family, and we all got to put ourselves in that position, and that's terrifying...And to be in a strange land."

The musical,  books as well as a documentary, send a message of how kind deeds, and opening our arms to those in need, can improve the world.

Kevin Tuerff, author of a book about his experiences, said: “I think this musical is the jump-start to the heart we need.”  Actor Rodney Hicks, who plays several characters in Come From Away, wants the musical’s feel-good message to travel beyond Broadway. “I believe it’s the universe’s design, really, all we can do is be there and tell the truth every night. This show is bigger than any of us. I want to share this with the world.”

Reviews have been mostly positive. “It’s a necessary balm for this mean time.” Deadline Hollywood.  It’s..”about community; and in this particular community, everyone’s a member..” Huffington Post. “It’s a singing reminder that when things are at their worst, people can be at their best.” New York Daily News.

Ernest Holmes would have loved this musical, because it’s about love.  He writes: “Love is the greatest power in the Universe, it is the basis and the source of everything... Love heals, forgives and makes whole... Unless we learn to love, we can’t get love in return... Love is the central flame of the Universe, nay, the very fire itself...Today, I am immersed in Love. I feel Love as a stream of light bringing Peace and Joy to every area of my life, healing every condition, and bringing harmony to my experience.”

And so it is.