***** I am sure you have heard the term “Ensemble Piece”. The term refers to a theatrical production that truly has no actual starring role, or for that matter, a role that stands out. It is a show about content and story, I am also pretty sure that when you hear “9/11”, you think of that day in our history, back in 2001 when our world changed and the United States was attacked. The musical story, “Come From Away”, now brilliantly performed on the stage of the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, combines both of these references.

“Come From Away” with a book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, takes us to  “the rock”, a safe place to land planes during the stand by and wait period right after the Twin Towers went down. I am sure you recall where you were that fateful morning and what you were doing. I know that I do, and for days after, living downtown, we saw or heard no airplanes overhead. All planes had been stopped and those that were in the air on 9-11 were sent to Gander Newfoundland, which due to this doubled their population overnight. Yes, 7,000 plus arrivals were taken in by the townspeople and this play superbly directed by Trent Stork with choreography by Kasey Alfonso, takes us to this small town where we meet the people of the community as well as those on the planes.

This play is based on true stories and while there were several thousand, this cast of roughly one and a half dozen performers bring them to life. Some characters are more standout than others, but this is truly a piece that relies on the performers being able to handle switching characters quickly and maintaining a uniqueness with each one. There are several who are off stage singers, but it is a true team effort that makes this story come alive and bring meaning to each and every audience member. If one listens to the opening song “Welcome To The Rock” and “38 Planes”, you begin to feel as if you are one of the passengers on one of the planes, who while forced to land in a place where you know no one, is safe and among friends. I must tell you that feeling does make a difference in how you react to the characters that you meet and the choices they are going to make, both good and bad.

The cast is powerful. Seon Askew, Zak Berger, Nick Druzbanski, Michelle Duffy, Russell Konstans, Susie McGonagle, Andrea Prestinaro ( who plays the first female pilot on her first flight with American Airlines), Adam Qutaishat, Ron E. Rains, Sara Reinecke, Soara-Joyce Ross, Abby C. Smith, Michelle Duffy, Lydia Burke, Lara Filip, Sophie Grimm, Makenzy Jenkins, Jason Richards and Lincoln J. Skoien. They play many roles, help move the set pieces around, but of greater importance, they bring this story to life and so with the feeling of trusting and relying on one another. I truly wish that people walk away from this performance with that positive feeling.

The musicians, led by Kory Danielson are onstage from the begining and during the curtain calls, don’t be surprised to see them do a little extra ( worth the wait). On the tech side, the set by Milo Bue is perfect and the costumes by Izumi Inaba  worked well. Greg Hofman’s lighting and Adam Rosenthal’s sound were perfect and as always the projections by Mike Tutaj added to the overall production. The props were handled by Aimee Plant. From start to finish, around 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission, you will have an experience that will bring back some memories and at the same time instill in you that there are good people out there. All you need to do in order to find out is find yourself in need. There are people who found love, others that faced reality, but all in all, these were people who needed people and they found each other.

“Come From Away” will  continue thru – Oct 12th with performances as follows: