By Sarah McMillin, Asst. Living and Arts Editor
When people ask what kind of music I listen to, I just say “yes.”
My Spotify is filled with songs from pretty much every genre there possibly is. Rock? You bet. Country? Sure. Gregorian chants? Of course. Anything that has good harmonies, or a good instrumental track is a good song in my book.
One of the genres that has the best harmonies and instrumentals is showtunes.
Recently I’ve been listening to the cast recording of “Come From Away.” It’s a musical that opened in 2017, right when “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hamilton” were still in their prime.
So, “Come From Away” did not get the attention it deserved.
This musical tells the story of several people affected by Operation Yellow Ribbon that was put into place in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Planes flying internationally to the United States that were still in the air were diverted to Canada since the American air space was closed.
Thirty-eight of those planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland. “Come From Away” tells the stories of the people who landed there and the people of Gander who gave them a home while they waited to get back to the United States.
One of the best songs in the show is “Me And The Sky” which tells the real-life story of Beverly Bass who was the first female American Airlines captain.
She was flying from Paris to Dallas on 9/11 when she was told to land at Gander.
Bass was portrayed by Jenn Colella in the original Broadway cast.
Bass told TheatreMania, “What I love about watching Jenn play my role is that she acts exactly the way I act. She’s just so in charge. That’s how it had to be for me, being a female pilot on one of the biggest airplanes in the sky. You had to show them who the boss is or you cannot maintain people’s respect. She portrays that perfectly in the show.”
The song itself starts out sweet and childlike, as the character Bass remembers being 8-years-old and telling her parents she wanted to be pilot.
It begins to get grittier and more powerful as she recounts how she moved up the ladder until she becomes the first female captain with the first all-female crew on American Airlines.
The chorus tells her story, always recounting how “Suddenly there’s nothing in between me and the sky.”
However, the song adds quiet and reserved after Bass hears about the terrorist attacks. She laments “Suddenly something is in between me and the sky.”
Colella was the only cast member to receive a Tony nomination, specifically for her portrayal of Bass. The instrumental buildup in the song combined with Colella’s vocal powers and Bass’ story makes for an incredibly emotional and powerful song.
