Come From Away

Come From Away is the second big musical to come to Broadway this season after a successful run in DC. This unique new show is written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. This is not the first show to explore facets of 9/11, but it's certainly a fresh take. The creative team interviewed residents of Gander, Newfoundland and the people who were temporarily stranded there during the terrorist attacks.

This musical is much more uptempo and hopeful than you would expect. It certainly references the 9/11 attacks and who the passengers felt when they could not find their loved ones, but it focuses more on the humanity of the Gander residents. We learn that Gander is a town of around 7,000 which is ironic because they took in nearly 7,000 displaced people during the week of the attacks. The folksy, small town attitude of Gander is reflected in the music. The score is energetic and homey with a few more pensive ballads mixed in, though you won't leave humming any particular tune. The songs really run together, not because they aren't memorable, but because the pace of the show is so rapid and is directed in such a way that the action is nonstop with seamless transitions. Jenn Colella's "Me and the Sky" is a highlight as Beverly sings about her struggle to become one of the first successful female pilots. There is a lyric where she, reflecting on the terrorist attacks, says that the thing she loved most in the world was used as a bomb. It will darn near break your heart. This cast features Broadway veterans Chad Kimball and Kendra Kassebaum, though it is truly an ensemble piece with no leads in the traditional sense.

Christopher Ashley's direction and Kelly Devine's choreography are beautiful in their simplicity. Did they borrow the chairs from The Color Purple? The actors rarely leave the stage unless it is to grab a new shirt or take off a hat. The performers and chairs are the set, making everything from an airplane to a bar. This choice creates an often frantic and chaotic scene on stage that mimics what the Gander locals felt like when the size of their town doubled for those five days. I never once felt that I was watching a scene, but rather a continuous stream of action and emotion. The kindness of the people of Gander is palpable, as is the gratitude of the come from aways. I was emotional through the entire show and choked up several times when I remember that I wasn't just watching a performance, but a real story of the goodness that can emerge in horrifying situations.

I couldn't help but shed a tear when I thought about the people from my own small hometown. I know they would have reacted in exact same way that Gander did: cooking, gathering supplies, and hugging nonstop. I think people from small towns will appreciate this show a little more than city folk. We know our neighbors, we say hello to people in the grocery store, and we all know people like Annette, Bob, and Beulah. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be attending opening night, and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to our neighbors up north for their role in helping America through that most horrific time of grieving. 

ROCKY's Excitement Level Punches the Back Wall

Rocky's nose ain't broke yet, and you'll know that from what seems like six reprises of the song. Rocky is America's favorite underdog and if you loved the classic 1970s movie, the new musical at The Winter Garden Theatre does not disappoint. If "Eye of the Tiger" and "The Rocky Theme" don't get you all hot and bothered, then you have no business seeing this show. I grew up loving the Rocky movies, I run to the theme song, and I'm a sports fanatic, so for me it was just everything.

Andy Karl in the role of Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion, is to be commended for his sheer energy and commitment to the role. He isn't the cute office boy from 9to5 or the hunky UPS guy from Legally Blonde anymore. He looks like a genuine prize fighter and according to some interviews, has gotten the occasional black eye to prove it. His singing has it's moments, especially in "Fight from the Heart" when he decides to fight Creed, though the Stallone accent interferes with his pitch in other songs. This performance should certainly garner nominations in the upcoming awards season.

Margo Seibert makes her Broadway debut as the mousy Adrian. Her first solo "Raining" is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but her Act II solo "I'm Done" shows some real grit and power. As she really gives it to her brother Paulie who has done nothing but put her down for twenty plus years, she conjures a bit of Stephanie J. Block in 9to5's "Get Out and Stay Out," though thinner vocally.

The true star of the show is the boxing. Why else would you see Rocky? The excitement begins with the training sequences that feature Karl running in place, hokey as it may sound, but the moving transparent projects of the Philadelphia streets bring director Alex Timbers' vision to life. I wanted to love the famous stairs scene even more, but it is pretty anticlimactic in comparison to the final scene. Speaking of which, right before Rocky fights Apollo Creed, "security" marches the first eight rows of center orchestra into bleachers onstage. This is when the audience is transported from the Winter Garden to a Philadelphia arena. Timbers's attention to detail is impeccable. We have color analysts, an announcer, a referee, judges, ringside girl, and even live TV cameras. You can't help but stand and cheer as Rocky and his team march down the aisle of the orchestra and you won't sit down for the rest of the show. The fight choreography by Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine is so realistic you forget where you are for about twenty minutes.We all know how the story ends. Rocky goes the distance, and though Creed wins by the judges' votes, Rocky really wins because he proves that he isn't a bum and he gets the girl. Yes, we hear our favorite line from the movie "Adriannnnnnn" as she too runs into the ring from the aisle of the orchestra.

The production's tag line is "Love Wins," but that is really selling the show short. If you want to see a love story, go to The Bridges of Madison County, but if you want to see boxing, then yo, come to Rocky. Does this absolutely need to be a musical? No, it doesn't, but it is certainly an exciting theatrical experience. I don't know how long it will run on Broadway, but it certainly has a future in Vegas where boxing is a marquis event and flashiness is king.