Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Gently coming together despite our differences: COME FROM AWAY at Paper Mill and the return of THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL

• By drediman
• February 10, 2026
• No Comments

During these frigid winter days and nights, I’ve found myself daydreaming of better times when it seemed we could all come together despite our differences. In the past week, this fancy was gently tickled by a pair of shows that entertain our capacity to perform such a simple but heroic act. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

COME FROM AWAY
Paper Mill Playhouse
Through March 1

This past Sunday, I found myself in Millburn, NJ at the joyful opening night of Paper Mill Playhouse’s new production of Come from Away (RECOMMENDED), which has been thoughtfully reconceived from the musical’s iconic original staging. Set in the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, the uplifting and warmhearted musical tells the true story of 7,000 airline passengers from around the globe who were diverted to and grounded in Gander, a quaint Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland. With 9/11’s 25th anniversary fast approaching, I found the inclusion of the irrepressible show in Paper Mill’s season to be an especially savvy piece of programming, as well as a welcome reminder for our current times of our capacity to work things out together. Although technically classified as a musical, the piece is really driven by communal storytelling, with plenty of folksy underscoring and only the occasional breakout into full song. The Paper Mill cast features some Broadway stalwarts like Andréa Burns, Lisa Howard, and Jeannette Bayardelle, whose typically stellar performances have been beautifully integrated into the fabric of the top-notch ensemble (in particularly fine voice were Howard and Bayardelle, who sang with clarity and power). Although a part of me missed the crisp blocking and appealing minimalism of director Christopher Ashley’s original Tony-winning staging, Richard J. Hinds’ fast-paced production fills Paper Mill’s large stage beautifully. Reminiscent of a Joseph Cornell “box”, Nate Bertone’s set design is stuffed with evocative visual nooks and crannies that efficiently aid in conveying time and place. More importantly, the production captures the vibrant spirit of goodwill and community of the original, while also buffing up the music-making by having a number of the cast members play instruments (paying homage to such shows as the excellent stage adaptation of Once).

THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL
urbanStages
Through February 22

As one of the shows that I sadly missed during the busy fall season, I’m happy that The Porch on Windy Hill (RECOMMENDED) has returned to Off-Broadway’s urbanStages for a winter run. Written by Sherry Stregack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken, the new drama is, in short, a tender testament to the potency of family and music. Largely set on a dilapidated porch in rural North Carolina, it tells the intimate story of a Korean-American woman and her musician boyfriend’s fraught and unexpected reunion with her long estranged grandfather, who also happens to be a brilliant banjo player. As they slowly assess where they stand with each other, they use music as their means of coming to terms with the past and find a healing path forward. In both familial and musical respects, The Porch on Windy Hill calls to mind — and compares favorably to — the wonderful Off-Broadway musical Beau (you can read my review of the Out of the Box Theatrics production, which also came back to the boards for a well deserved return engagement, here). Although categorized as a play with music, the piece is more inherently “musical” than plenty of the musicals I know. By and large, the dialogue thankfully approaches sensitive subjects like racism and familial strife with balancing perspectives. And although some of the writing as it relates to music history/theory can be somewhat didactic — and the acting a tad overwrought (particularly Tora Nogami and Morgan Morse as the visiting young couple from New York) — the show is filled with superb live bluegrass and folk music playing, courtesy of the show’s three multi-talented actors (Nogami, Morse, and Lutken), who impressively take it upon themselves to play various instruments over the course of the play. At the center of it all is Lutken’s soulful performance as the conflicted grandfather. His performance rings true in every sense, from the spot-on accent to his touching evocation of the character’s emotional awakening.