Esquire Chats: The Enduring Relevance of ‘Come From Away’ | Esquire Philippines - video Dailymotion

Esquire Philippines

‘Come From Away’ Director Michael Williams and Musical Director Rony Fortich sat down with Esquire Philippines to discuss the enduring relevance of the musical in 2025. #EsquirePHVideo

Transcript

00:00And maybe this is that show that will make us think, you know,

00:05why is it not that way?

00:07What can we do to be more like that?

00:23First of all, the inciting incident of the play and the musical is 9-11,

00:29but the story is much, much more beyond that.

00:32It's about the reaction to it.

00:35It's about how people came together and gave the world hope after that really horrible, tragic event.

00:46It gave us the idea you find comfort in the regular, ordinary, everyday things of acts of kindness

00:54and generosity and acceptance that the people of Gander have shown the displaced people

01:02that have been forced to land there in their community.

01:05That's what it's about, really.

01:07It's about that moment where people came together to help people who were displaced.

01:13Well, as Michael said, it's about the generosity and love that came out of such a tragic event,

01:20which we can relate to the Philippines.

01:23If you look at how whenever a natural disaster hits, how people come together to help out.

01:30And I've often spoken about this, how when Ondoy hit the next day,

01:37everyone was trying to get to relief centers to help distribute goods.

01:43And I myself was turned down in like three locations and I finally found a place where I can help

01:48because all the locations were full of people just wanting to give their time

01:53and relief goods and money to help everybody else.

01:55And we still do that today.

01:57And I think that's why to have a musical on stage about that is quite relevant.

02:02And also the idea that from that moment, the world had changed.

02:07Travel became different, more difficult.

02:09People started to suspect each other.

02:12You know, the divisions between people became wider, sort of.

02:18And the antidote to it really was what the people in Gander showed us.

02:26They accepted people with open arms, allowed them into their houses,

02:29brought out their furniture, brought out their food.

02:31Their population doubled because of the sheer volume of people

02:34that landed in their place, in their community.

02:38And although there were some fear, naturally,

02:45the planes were considered bomb threats.

02:48Before they were completely vetted, the people weren't allowed off the planes.

02:51So there were those things that they went through.

02:54But the people in Gander responded to it,

02:58as human beings did, as human beings should,

03:01with a generosity and kindness.

03:03And they looked after those people.

03:08And it was the antidote.

03:10And I think the world could learn a really potent lesson from them.

03:17And that is really the takeaway.

03:25The material is so well written.

03:28It's really definitive.

03:29It's really, our responsibility really is to be true to it

03:33and to tell it in its simplistic form.

03:37It really is the bare bones of theatre.

03:39It allows the audience to participate

03:42by engaging their imagination.

03:44We just need to provide them with the seed of the message.

03:51Our ambition is to be clear,

03:53to tell the story as it should be told,

03:55in keeping with the spirit of the production where it is simple

03:59and allowing the material to be carried through us

04:07to our audience as effectively as we can.

04:16You know, honestly,

04:18I have that feeling almost every day when I come here with these.

04:22I mean, we have the best cast.

04:24And I have an inordinate amount of trust in them

04:28and the material.

04:30The pride is in the opportunity that we have

04:39to tell the story.

04:41And we have a crack at it,

04:45to be able to show the people

04:49a better way maybe.

04:51And every part of it has

04:54something poignant or heartfelt

04:58or a beautiful moment.

05:00The whole script is filled with that.

05:02And it's all these different moments

05:04that people show

05:06either kindness

05:07or generosity

05:08or acceptance

05:09or understanding

05:11or empathy.

05:12All these things that

05:14you think would be

05:16you know,

05:17should be

05:18part of our daily lives

05:20that we share with other people.

05:22And maybe

05:24this is

05:25that show

05:27that will

05:28make us

05:29think

05:30what can we do

05:34to be more like that?

05:36And so when I see them

05:38going through the script

05:40and going through their lines

05:41and telling us the story,

05:43I feel

05:44yeah, this is really, really good material.

05:46This is a really, really good

05:48a good show

05:49to mount

05:50in these times

05:51especially

05:52in these times.

05:57The music is just

05:59wonderful storytelling.

06:01What I love about musicals

06:02is the sort of

06:03the great combination

06:04of strong lyrics

06:06very poignant lyrics

06:08tied with

06:09excellent music, right?

06:10And

06:11when you put these two together

06:13you have a musical

06:14with fantastic storytelling

06:15and that's what

06:16Come From Away is.

06:18The melodies

06:19are all

06:20all tell the story

06:21of where there was tension

06:23where there was kindness

06:25where there was angst

06:26the feeling when they're stuck

06:28on the plane

06:29for 28 hours

06:31the music

06:32rides with that.

06:33But then also when

06:34at the 28 hour mark

06:35and they're being given

06:36alcohol

06:37to sort of calm their nerves

06:38the music reflects

06:39that as well.

06:40The music reflects

06:42the joy

06:44when they take off

06:45and get to go back

06:46to their homes

06:47as well as

06:48the sort of

06:49the emptiness

06:50when

06:51they're going back

06:52they're going back

06:52to their homes

06:53and missing

06:54the sort of

06:55friendships

06:56and the generosity

06:57that they felt in Gander

06:58it all reflects

06:59that beautifully.

07:00So

07:01I can't wait

07:02for audiences

07:03to hear it.

07:09I'll go with

07:10generous.

07:11I think it's

07:12it's a great word

07:13to describe

07:15the heart of the show

07:16and

07:17and the idea of generosity

07:18where it comes

07:19from a place of

07:20not wanting something

07:22in return.

07:24That goes from

07:25both in the storytelling

07:26from

07:27the performances

07:28on stage

07:29from actors

07:30being generous

07:31with what they give

07:32to an audience

07:33to the

07:34to the music

07:35yeah

07:36so my word

07:37is generous.

07:38I will go with

07:39human

07:40it talks about

07:41those things

07:43that

07:44people really are

07:47you know

07:48should be.

07:49you

07:52you

07:54you

07:56you

07:58you

08:00you

Esquire Chats: The Enduring Relevance of ‘Come From Away’ | Esquire Philippines

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