REVIEW: Extraordinary musical Come From Away at Chichester Festival Theatre reveals tale of hope in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy

Too often a worthy production can be dragged down by a lack of pace and its inability to liberate itself from the detail of the story it is telling.

Come From Away suffers no such restraints.

Sung almost entirely to music that captures the spirit of the Newfoundland community that played host to 7,000 unexpected guests, the story line bounces along with ever gathering joy.

Even an interval is dispensed with in this one hour 40 minute performance to ensure that nothing impinges on the rhythm.

How easy it would have been for this show to have been consumed by the tragedy of the lives lost in 9/11 or equally to have dismissed the shock, loss and suffering in preference of an upbeat story to tell.

This does neither. It is underpinned by the appalling deaths in New York but the audience’s spirits are lifted on the wings of the generosity of the people of the town of Gander – whose population temporarily doubled in size to accommodate their unexpected guests.

For many of us, it was a story of which we were totally unaware – eclipsed as it was by the events in New York. Yet no detail is overlooked – from caring for the animals in the planes’ holds to revealing that this rock was probably chosen by the authorities because if one of the aircraft had exploded its impact would have been limited to the lives of this small place.

The cast appears drawn from a cross-section of ‘real’ people. But they are extraordinary too – as they effortlessly transform from host to guest and back again with the practised ease of Dr Who finding his next reincarnation. The musicians are equally outstanding.

We have the town mayor who at one time is trying to resolve a local strike and the next is co-ordinating the operation to feed, house and support thousand of unexpected visitors.

There is the young journalist whose first day at work provides the biggest story they will possibly ever cover.

This is all about the people – the connections they form, the friendships they make, and the ways their lives change each others’ for ever.

The music is played with verve and style – instantly forgettable but it drives the show forward with Formula 1 expertise.

As revealing as it is uplifting, Come From Away by Irene Sankoff and and David Hein reassures us that even at the darkest moments in our history that is when the candle of hope burns brightest and strongest.