There will probably be spoilers so, if you don't want to know anything about the show, skip ahead.
This show is an amazing piece of theatre and it's staged brilliantly. The closest thing I could compare it to, in terms of hows its staged, is "The Laramie Project". There is a small group of actors who portray a multitude of roles, switching characters fast, with no or limited costume change (like a jacket put on). Scenes and locations are shifted without a break with monologues and observances interspersed. All actors have at least two major roles: a townie and a plane person. Some of the images this show has will stay with me for a long time.
The music is played on stage and has a celtic, country, folk feeling. The songs are beautiful and memorable. Lots of songs end without giving the audience a chance to applaud. Most memorable is a song by Jenn Colella (to respond to Whizzer) in which an airline pilot talks of her greatest desire in life was to fly jets and now her greatest love has been turned into a bomb and she is lost. Other memorable songs include a beautiful prayer , sung by all faiths and fun, riotous song in a bar sung by the company which involves the kissing of a fish.
I have never laughed harder or teared up so many times in a musical. I wasn't expecting much and this musical had me one minute after the opening number started. 9/11 still haunts many, especially those of us who were in NYC when it happened, it's amazing that a musical has been created concerning this horrible event that is so uplifting and life affirming. Not that it's all that way. The show takes full on the horrible way we have treated Arab Americans in this country.
I hate standing ovations, I think they are given out too often. Lots of times I am sitting, while everyone around me are standing. I was on my feet the second the lights went out at the end of the show. The cast is a true ensemble, and I include the orchestra as members of the cast. They deserve every accolade that can be given them. I encourage anyone in DC to quickly buy tickets to this. If you can't get to see it here, buy a ticket when it comes to NYC. But I have to say, there is something fitting about this show being done in Ford's theatre, with the box Lincoln shot in always in view.
. The Broadway company is also set to play Toronto."
