Chelsie Nectow (center), with (left-right) Tracy Liz Miller, Sophie Nassiri, Erin Lindsay Krom, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, and Cherish Love Photo by Sarah Kozma

While it can strike a painful chord in anyone who lived through 9/11, the musical itself can be joyous and heartfelt. Director Hunter Foster has done a remarkable job staging the musical, working in tandem with the excellent choreographer Krystyna Resavy in creating a production that is in constant motion from beginning to end. What is notable about this staging is that it feels very much like a kaleidoscope, with actors moving in a myriad array of patterns to breathtaking effect. The cast for this strong production is extremely versatile and largely flawless.

The opening number is "Welcome to the Rock," and its pounding beat and propulsive energy are almost contagious in igniting both the stage and the audience. Though there are twelve actors in the cat, throughout the 100 minutes of the musical it truly feels like that there must be at least sixty people onstage. With a big thanks to the costume designer Kathleen DeAngelis, the performers are constantly changing clothes, adding hats and donning different jackets, to personify the many different characters.

Amongst the most notable characters is Hannah, heartbreakingly portrayed by Cherish Love, who performs the moving anthem, "I Am Here," as Hannah continues to try to reach her firefighter son in New York. Hannah is comforted by Beulah, who is touchingly played by Meagan Lewis-Michaelson and is there to lend a shoulder when it is needed. Nick and Diane, who form a romantic relationship during all the turmoil, are lovingly played by, respectively, Michael F. McGuirk and Erin Lindsey Krom (both terrific).

There is also a gay couple (the fine and funny Ricky Oliver and Cameron Sirian), who are both named Kevin; Sirian also stands out in the role of Ali, who is continually being treated suspiciously because of his ethnicity and the color of his skin. In various other parts, Max Bennett-Parker, Jeffrey Konowitch, Willie Marte, Tracy Liz Miller, and Sophie Nassiri are all superb. Chelsie Nectow is a fantastic as airplane pilot Beverley, singing the moving "Me and the Sky." All of these actors also work as a strong ensemble and their collective work is astounding.

The scenic design by Christopher Swader and Justin Swader is nicely rustic and almost resembles a kind of bar/restaurant, which is fitting, since a great deal of alcohol is consumed by the characters in the musical. Lighting designer Aidan English does a marvelous job of spotlighting all of the many scenes, and the sound design by Graham Stone is just about perfect. The fabulous music director Eric Thomas Johnson leads the upstage band and they make the music in Come from Away sound extraordinary.

As it happens, there was just another sterling regional theatre production of Come from Away in Connecticut recently (at Ivoryton Playhouse), and it is fascinating to compare the two different stagings. Seeing these productions back-to-back shows that Come from Away can shine in strikingly different ways. Sharon Playhouse has a definite winner in their production of Come from Away, and I highly encourage you to bring tissues with you. You will need them.

Come from Away runs through September 27, 2026, at Sharon Playhouse, 49 Amenia Road, Sharon CT. For tickets and information, please visit www.sharonplayhouse.org.