Come From Away - Queensland Performing Arts Centre QPAC

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Sun 28 Mar 2021 - Sun 09 May 2021

Come From Away - Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC)

Come From Away"It's a work of genius. You must see it. That's not a suggestion. It's an order!" The Courier Mail& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ; "Irresistible and inspiring. It's a musical that gets everything right." The Times, UK& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ; "There is no musical quite like it. A five star musical for our times." The Age"Absolutely amazing! You feel like you are part of something special." 97.3FM& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ; "You'll be laughing, crying, tapping your feet, and singing all night long! A must-see musical." Scenestr& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ; "Celebrates the heroism of ordinary people; the immeasurable value of solidarity and goodwill." Sydney Morning Herald"Who knew kindness and generosity could be so thrilling." The Australian



An unexpected disaster challenges a community – invaded by thousands of air travellers "locked-down" in their midst.

Your aged reviewer remembers the original story and how the Canadians showed warm and admirable hospitality to the strangers in their midst. But how, I wondered, can that stretch into a full-length musical?

And the answer is – very well.



Not by having stand-out heroes and heroines – more by making the cast into a chorus, and weaving threads of stories through the account of bewildered passengers and challenged locals. Stories so compelling and somehow universal that they felt like a celebration of kindness and hope. Simplicity is very hard to achieve without being trite – this musical achieves it, becoming a profound affirmation of goodness, albeit with a shadow side.
Never underestimate the power of a casserole, or in this case, thousands of casseroles, as the town's ice-rink is turned into the biggest refrigerator in the world.

Because passengers could not access their luggage donations poured in – toys, toiletries, toothbrushes. And no-one asked for payment.

I loved the set and the production. Again, it appears simple. A wall of coloured bricks, with a door in it. On either side, trees with fronds. A band on stage – and what a band, each musician multi-tasking to create a superb musical background which owed a lot to an Irish caleigh. There was a lot of dancing, and I half expected to see the cast burst into a Riverdance style celebration – they didn't quite, but I am in awe of the energy of the cast, as, with small changes of seating, for instance, they conjured the illusion of being in an aeroplane, or a bus, or a hall and with small changes of costume they became various characters and then segued back into the chorus.

Everyone, as far as I could see was on stage all the time, and everyone has something to do all the time. Full marks to the script, to the producer and to the music. This show was never dull – even giving out sandwiches becomes a choreographed masterpiece.

The shadow side has a gay couple terrified of how a remote town will treat them, an African group who react to Salvation Army uniforms as to a fascist militia, a brawl in a queue for a land-line phone, the Islamophobia in the reaction to an Arabic chef. And after 9/11, we saw how easy it could be to slip into the fake news dichotomies that demonise the stranger.

This musical is a reminder of the power of kindness even (perhaps especially) in the midst of crisis.

So, as Covid restrictions make it difficult once again for QPAC, let me encourage you to go to this delightful and special musical – "feel good" on the surface but with good depth.



Your reviewer – and the audience – loved it.

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!date 28/03/2021 -- 09/05/2021
%wnbrisbane