‘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
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CreativityTranscript
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