KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the musical “Come from Away” at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through May 10, 2026.
Text of Review:
Works of art age in different ways. Chekhov’s plays, for example, were written and performed as contemporary pieces. Now their dachas and threadbare aristocrats are artifacts of history, though the universal truths remain. And nobody in their right mind would today produce Milk and Honey, Jerry Herman’s ode to Zionism.
So what to make of the hit musical, “Come from Away,” which made its Broadway debut less than ten years ago, and is now in a regional production at TheatreWorks Mountain View venue through May 10th?
The show tells the story of how the town of Gander Newfoundland became the temporary home of thousands of travelers forced to land there in the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, when United States airspace was closed. The town and surrounding burgs all came alive with hospitality, proving that Canadians and Americans were all one family, and a family takes care of its own. A tale of comradery in the midst of tragedy.
A happy play involving 9/11? Yes, it was possible because that day and its aftermath was still the defining moment in the lives of American adults living in 2017. There was the before, there was the after. “Come from Away” did not need to stress the feeling. Everyone in the audience knew it. It was in the pit of their stomachs and had been for over a decade.
But that was then. In 2020 came the lockdown, a new before and after. And then came Trump Two and yet another before and after. A now coarser world where amiability just doesn’t hold much sway. That sick feeling over the towers? Gone, now we doomscroll and hope tomorrow there will be a planet.
And “Come from Away”? The show feels too light, too negiligible for its own good, with a hole at its emotional core. This staging, which reflects the original, avoids images of the towers coming down, apparently too traumatic for audiences a decade ago watching a feel-good musical. Maybe it’s time to rethink the presentation.
Also, looking at waterfalls and domestic squabbles? Who cares? And graciousness isn’t going to stop Stephen Miller. Today, of course, would Canada even let the planes land? The damage wrought by the current regime goes on and on.
The acting, the singing, the choreography, on that level this production is first rate. It’s all quite lovely. But the depth that keeps Chekhov alive is absent. This “Come from Away” is gorgeous, but the show itself is an empty footnote.
Come from Away plays at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through May 10th. For more information you can go to theatreworks.org. I’m Richard Wolinsky on Bay Area theater for KPFA.