Review: Come From Away - Portrush Musical Society

Society name: Portrush Musical Society

Show name: Come From Away

Adjudicator date of attendance: 3rd June 2026

Director Kerry Kane and the production team and company chose this smaller venue. The tiny space lent itself well to the interior scenes in the planes, and the café/bar where most of the action is depicted. We were treated to a fast moving, faithful and very sensitive interpretation of this very moving story by a very well-rehearsed and confident company of fine actors and singers.

The phrase “chairography” comes into its own in this production with chairs and tables in constant motion throughout the production to create the various scenes required. The cast responded very well and it was nice to see not just placement of furniture, but also careful placement of props and costumes to assist each other in the rapid costume changes – often just a jacket/cardigan/hat, but which assisted the actors in switching between roles as the story unfolded.

Terry Cloghley as MD, was squeezed into the wings with a tightly packed band of 8 other musicians, I could pick out about 5/6 from my seat but quite where the others were hidden is a mystery. However – the Playhouse is blessed with an excellent acoustic, and the sound from the band was just right, with the percussion (lots of bodhran – which is central to this score) and other instruments sharing the drone like underscoring of the narrative as the story unfolded. Whilst the songs and storyline are presented by the many individual characters as single lines, both spoken and sung, there are many opportunities for harmonies and these were handled well by the company and supported very well by the small but well-designed musical accompaniment. In particular the “prayer” was well sung and blended together nicely. The band joined in for the “tavern” scene – with the percussionist hopping on stage with an “ugly stick”. The Finale – “Somewhere in the middle of nowhere” which involves the entire company was a fitting and moving end.

Rosemary O’Connor – choreographer - had the challenging task of designing – I assume in close collaboration with Ms. Kane, a subtle range of head and body movements for the people whether in the plane, or on buses, and moved the cast and the many chairs in time to the music when required and had a few opportunities for appropriate “dancing” especially in the tavern scene which occurs towards the end of the story.

Aaron Jamieson took on the role of Claude and effectively opens the show with the full company with “Welcome to the Rock”, a rowdy joyous introduction to the town of Gander and its small group of inhabitants. As with all the principal characters Aaron had to switch in and out of various characters during the show and he did this with minimum effort and fuss and adopted different accents – including the quirky “gander” or newfoundland accent. His interactions with the other characters were on point and his various accents were excellent. His singing was always in character.

Lindsay Johnson played Bonnie and was confident and secure in her dialogue and handled the accents well. She also covered the part of “Martha”. Ms. Johnson showed the emotional connection this character has with all animals and the story with the Bonobo chimpanzees was handled with great sensitivity.

Emma Thorpe played Beulah, the head of the Gander Legion and also doubled in some scenes as “Dolores”. Beulah organizes all the towns folk to arrange food and bedding and later forms a close bond with Hannah, who has a son in New York who is a firefighter. These scenes were played with great sensitivity. As Dolores she rips into a rendition of “my heart will go on” eliciting a huge laugh (and light relief) from the audience.

Tim Brown – Oz ((Also Joey, Customs Officer, Mr. Michaels, Terry, Matty, Rabbi and Head Cardiologist) – is a strong singer and actor, and moved between the many cameo roles effortlessly. His various accents were good and he supported the other actors with great confidence. Playing eight different roles is a challenge for any actor but Mr. Brown slipped in and out of each one with ease.

Yasmin Walker played “Janice” the eager “first day on the job” reporter who is landed with the biggest news story of her life. Yasmin was excellent in the role and handled the accents well for the parts of “Britney” and the “Flight Attendant”. As the “Flight Attendant” she also covered the house announcements at the beginning of the show.

Elaine Macauley – Beverley (Also Annette and Reporter), had the unenviable task of singing probably the only solo song in the show – i.e. “Me and the Sky”. Her voice was nicely suited to the part, and she was joined by a group of backing singers with flight attendant caps. She also had multiple roles playing Annette and a reporter. Ms. Macauley easily embodied this strong and successful character managing a plane and its passengers whilst processing the awful news that has just changed her life forever.

Nicole Williams was Diane and also covered minor roles as Crystal and Brenda. Her main character was played with great sensitivity and her evolving relationship with Nick was both funny and moving as two strangers found solace in each other’s company in a time of crisis. Her duet with Nick for “Stop the World” was well sung and poignant.

Aidan Hughes, as well as being Chair of the society, also took on the main role of “Nick” as well as some minor roles. His acting and singing were well suited to the part of “Nick” -his English accent clipped and on point, and his phrasing and timing in “Stop the World” was perfect. As with his colleagues he also switched between parts effortlessly. I particularly liked the use of chairs in “Stop the World”.

David Mitchell was excellent as Garth, the hard-nosed Union Official. He also had to portray President Bush making his address to the nation. As Kevin T, he sang at the start of “Prayer” which is a mash up of the Christian Hymn “Make me a Channel of your Peace” and several other songs/chants from various religions. This particular piece is very moving, and he was supported by the entire company with great sensitivity.

David McDowell as Kevin J – (doubling as Ali and Dwight) is one of my favourite characters in this musical. David used the same simple costume addition of a skull cap to portray Ali and whilst he only has a few moments, this was delivered with great empathy. As Kevin J he was secure, confident and believable.

Rosemary O’Connor played the role of Hannah principally, as well as covering the minor roles of Margie and Mickey. Her frantic search (on the phone) for her fire-fighter son who she fears is lost in the tragedy leads us to the very poignant “Phone home” song which Ms. O’Connor performed with great tenderness and vulnerability.

Richard Mairs was a strong supporting actor with multiple roles. As Captain Bristol he was suitably pompous and strutting, and gave the audience a much-needed laugh with his various entrances. As the very nervous “Bob” he was suitably untrusting of everyone in the sky, and again as he tries to settle into the welcoming arms of the friendly people of Gander.

Ensemble – There are two groups of ensembles alternating shows for this production and ensemble “A” were on stage on the night I attended. They supported the principal cast well in the bigger chorus numbers book-ending the show for the opening number and finale as well as assisting with moving furniture and props and helping cast members with the quick-fire costume changes. Some joined in for the “Cardiologist” scene which was very funny.

As already outlined above there was very little space to move either chairs, tables or any type of set pieces on or off the stage, but Mr. William Thompson as stage manager managed the well drilled cast well and managed to assist the fast-flowing scenes as they unfolded. Mr. Thompson, along with Ms. Kane also built and painted the set – a proper community theatre! There was a Tim Hortons sign on one side of the stage and a beer sign on the other to indicate various scenes. I noticed very few stage markings and again it was a credit to the cast when it came to positioning the chairs, as well as finding spot lights. The clear-out of chairs after the tavern scene was smooth and efficient.

Lighting was simple throughout but effective at creating the atmosphere for each scene. There was very little space to hang lights so the designer had to be creative with positions and types of lights used. I particularly liked the lighting in the “Blankets and Bedding” scene, and the spot on “Ali” at a certain point worked well. Given the number of live mics on set – there were little or no drops in volume and no bangs or feedback that I could tell. Sound overall was mixed very well with the band and the singers.

Costumes were all simple and effective, given the number of characters being portrayed on stage the base costumes had to suffice, with characters created by the addition of hats, jackets, coats, skull caps etc. This all worked well. I didn’t notice a wig, if there was one it was excellent! Make up was simple and appropriate.

Adjudicators Suggestions:

I had the opportunity to speak at length to the Director and to some of the company before and after the production. The Playhouse was a perfect setting for Come from Away, and I know they have difficulty securing an appropriate home for larger scale musicals, so I hope the local public representatives can get on board and bring a much-needed theatre to this town, which has so much talent available to it. As regards the production itself all I can say is bravo to one and all for their incredible hard work in presenting this beautiful piece of theatre.