WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — In times of tragedy, kindness and compassion are among the most urgent balms, be it between two friends, in a community, or among groups of strangers separated by an ocean.
But theater, like any form of storytelling, requires a degree of conflict to raise the stakes and give the audience a reason not only to care about what they’re watching, but to think critically about it.
As strange as it sounds given the story’s inciting incident, conflict was conspicuously missing from “Come From Away,” a musical now up at Northern Stage about the 38 planes that were rerouted to the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
That’s not to say that the stranded passengers weren’t dealing with their own internal conflicts and anxieties about their family’s safety, when they might get to return home and how life might be forever changed when they do.
But the play also leaned heavily on the conceit that relaying a heartfelt example of real-life generosity is enough to constitute compelling theater. Polished, humorous performances from the entire cast helped buoy the show along on Thursday night, but their talent was not enough to obscure what felt like a vacant interior.
Shortly after we meet the residents of Gander — a hearty bunch who are well-accustomed to the simple routines of island life — a message comes through the airwaves that over three dozen planes will soon be landing in the once impressive Gander International Airport.
Despite lacking the infrastructure to accommodate the thousands of passengers, the townspeople quickly sprang into action, readying bedding, food and other supplies with gusto. And they continued to offer the same kind of support, compassion and camaraderie to their temporary neighbors for the rest of the show.
This is all very well and good — heartening even, especially at a time when hostility towards strangers runs high — but without some extensive disagreement among characters, the play’s messaging often came off as preaching. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being told to enjoy the show on the simple grounds that it was touting the virtues of neighborliness and magnanimity. Kittens are cute; do I need to like them, too?
Of course, to say that “Come From Away” contained no moments of tension would be false. At one point, for instance, a Muslim character is the target of a humiliating search at airport security, a sobering marker of how the Sept. 11 attacks ushered in a new era of heightened intolerance and hate that carries into the present.
But the play tries to pack so much action and so many storylines from those five or so days in Gander into its hour-and-45-minute run time that the more serious moments often struggle for air, and the stage is almost always busy with movement.
On the one hand, that constant movement captured the chaos of those days on the island, and the actors’ ability to pull off so many transitions of set pieces, character, and tone was impressive to behold. From start to finish, every gesture, facial expression and piece of blocking was polished and energetic, which has come to feel like a hallmark of Carol Dunne’s work as Northern Stage’s artistic director.
Virtually every song in “Come From Away” is an ensemble piece, and the actors at Thursday’s show blended their voices with ease, creating beautiful harmonies amid powerful, moving solos.
While the entire cast was on their game during the Thursday night preview, J. Bailey Burcham, Northern Stage’s director of sales and marketing, deserves special acknowledgment for the humor and presence he brought to his performance as the town police constable, Oz, and the various other characters he played.
Benjamin Howes and Susan Haefner were equally amusing as a bashful Brit and lively Southerner who strike up a flirtation over the course of their time in Gander. Howes has performed at Northern Stage before as Bob Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol,” and Haefner has appeared in numerous Upper Valley productions over the years, including a recent reading of “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Shaker Bridge Theatre.
Given the state of the world today, I can see why Northern Stage might have wanted to put on a play about the connection and empathy that can be forged in the face of profound intolerance and division. It’s hard to imagine the acceptance and solidarity between the Gander townspeople and those passengers happening right now, and there’s some comfort to be found in basking in their embrace of one another.
But most of the time it’s rarely that simple, and to suggest otherwise feels like a dangerous, and patronizing, form of wish fulfillment.
Northern Stage’s production of “Come From Away” is up through Oct. 26. For tickets ($37-$100; $28 for students and people ages 25 and under), go to northernstage.org or call 802-536-1744.