A few years ago, I was invited to review St Austell Amateur Operatic Society’s (AOS) production of Young Frankenstein. I’d never seen St Austell AOS in action before, and had little knowledge of Young Frankenstein, but with a teenager on a school trip and a free evening, it seemed rude to say no.

The Other Half and I were blown away by the group’s mastery of musical theatre. Suffice to say, when I was contacted at a moment’s notice to ask if I’d like to see Come From Away, I was willing to drop all commitments and clear my diary to do so.

Teen stepped away from GCSE revision with some reservations about whether the experience would justify the sacrifice. Granted, it’s not the easiest sell, having been inspired by the Twin Towers disaster of 9/11; but I’d heard about the show online and had been intrigued by the premise, so was keen to give it a go.

Come From Away is based on the true story of how 38 passenger planes were diverted from American airspace following the terrorist attack in 2001, and forced to land at Gander in Newfoundland, Canada, where a once-busy refuelling airport was now largely disused.

The population of the nearby village doubled for the following week, but residents and small-town officials (mayor, police, previously under-employed air traffic control) pulled together and spared no expense to make their unexpected visitors welcome to the point that lifelong friendships were forged.

Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the musical finds surprising humour and humanity in one of the darkest moments in recent history and moves at the kind of pace you can imagine from ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances.

There are 12 actors on stage, all pivoting admirably from scene to scene to portray Gander natives and a variety of travellers, the most salient of whom come from one particular aeroplane and include: a female pilot, a male couple nervous about being openly gay, two middle-aged singletons tentatively attracted to each other, a mother who is concerned for her firefighter son in New York, and a Muslim chef who finds himself under an unpleasant spotlight.

I hesitate to pull out particular performances, as the ensemble worked so well. Alice Waterfield followed up an award-winning performance in Legally Blonde with an equally barnstorming portrayal of Capt. Beverley Bass, while Kim Prophet as primary school teacher Beulah felt like the warm, beating heart of Gander. A multi-faith number at the end of act one, led by Ryan Full and merging Christian, Jewish and Muslim songs, was expertly executed and brought a tear to the eye.

It's to the cast’s utter credit that all the characters were so believable. By the end of the show, it felt like we were in Gander with them. Teen ended the performance beaming from ear to ear. “I had such a great evening,” she said. “Can we go and see it again?” There is no better review than that.

Come From Away plays at the Keay Theatre, St Austell until Saturday evening.