Compassion and Community on The Rock (Derby Dinner Playhouse)

Pictured from left to right (and front to back):  Isabel Kruse, Katie Blackerby, Christina Booker, Jennifer Pennington, Tony Reimonenq III, Elizabeth Loos, Cami Baker, Jeff Hines-Mohrman, Gregory Maupin, Neill Robertson, Tai Rosenblatt, David Hussey

Come From Away

Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Directed by Tina Jo Wallace Musical Direction by Scott Bradley

A Review by Brian Kennedy

Entire contents are copyright © 2025 Brian Kennedy. All Rights Reserved

Derby Dinner Playhouse did a masterful job capturing the chaos and the resulting fear, hope, frustration, and even some lighter moments in Come From Away. 

Come From Away, which Tina Jo Wallace directed, switches between sad and frustrated to confused and fearful to hopeful and humorous while telling the stories of townspeople and strangers in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. They were unexpectedly brought together in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, when planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon and were forced to land after the US air space shut down. Cast members performed multiple roles to help tell the many individual stories from those days.

The company, thanks to its strong and heartfelt performance of the opener "Welcome to the Rock," immediately brought the audience in on what was happening. That passion remained throughout the rest of the musical, especially on "38 Planes" and "Prayer," which also featured a superb Scott Bradley-conducted orchestra. 

Even a show with such a strong company, several individual performances stood out. Elizabeth Loos infused Bonnie, a local SPCA worker, with an entertaining mix of care for the animals on the planes, a can-do attitude and even some sass. This led to some of the show’s more humorous and heartfelt moments.

In a very poignant moment, Christina Booker absolutely nails her solo ballad "I Am Here." As the character Hannah, she exuded sadness, grief and longing eloquently as she attempted to contact her son, a firefighter in New York City. 

A strong point about Come From Away was that while it showed the kindness and generosity of the human spirit, it also showed some of the fear. Tai Rosenblatt, as Ali, an Egyptian traveler, was very effective in this role, especially as he spoke in great detail about the looks he received or an embarrassing strip search he was forced to endure. Audible gasps could be heard during these moments.

Meanwhile, the chemistry between Nick and Diane (Gregory Maupin and Jennifer Pennington, respectively) was apparent from their first scene together. Their constant interactions and the will they/won’t they tension led to many in the audience rooting for them. 

Come From Away is a show that allows those who lived through 9/11 to reflect, those who weren’t around yet to learn and allows all audience members to embrace the human spirit, which remains alive even in the worst of times.

Derby Dinner Playhouse did a magnificent job of bringing these stories to life and will continue to do so until Sept. 28. This includes a matinee and an evening performance on 9/11. Don’t miss this show.

Come From Away Derby Dinner Playhouse August 13-September 28, 2025 525 Marriott Drive Clarksville, IN 47129 www.derbydinner.com