9/11 pilot sees her life story come to the stage in ‘Come From Away’ | Arts and Theatre
Beverley Bass vividly remembers the first time she heard “Me and the Sky.”
It was on June 13, 2015. She was in the La Jolla (California) Playhouse. About halfway through the debut performance of the new musical “Come From Away,” the song from a character named Beverly, who was one of the pilots who flew airliners into Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001, came up.
“I was gasping for air, I needed oxygen, it was so overwhelming,” Bass said. “I was looking at my husband. And I remember I said to him, “Oh my god, this is my life story in 4 minutes and 19 seconds, my aviation life story.’ I couldn’t believe it. It was fabulous.”
She’s heard the song many times since — so many renditions from professionals and school kids alike. And she’s still touched in the same way.

Beverley Bass
L. Kent Wolgamott
“It has just become something that a lot of people have latched on to and it’s not an easy song to sing,” she said. “So the actress has told me I would never try this thing but they say it’s not easy.”
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“Me and the Sky” traces, with a bit of artistic license, the story of a girl who fell in love with flying at age 4, decided she wanted to fly the biggest airplanes at 8, went to flight school while she was in college and got her license in 1973 – when Frontier Airlines had hired the first female commercial airline pilot
“So there was hope,” Bass said, to fulfill her childhood dream. But there were dues to pay and sexism to overcome.
“My first flying job was flying for a mortician,” Bass said in a Zoom conversation last week. “I flew bodies on an airplane that was so small, it couldn’t hold a casket. The body was just on a stretcher next to my right leg. And I flew for him for about two years.”
Hired as American Airlines third female pilot in 1976, she became a captain a decade later and on Dec. 30, 1986 was the captain of the first all-female airliner crew ever, attracting attention from media around the world.
By Sept. 11, 2001, Bass was an experienced pilot and trainer, who was in the cockpit of a Boeing 777, the largest airliner in the American fleet, on a routine flight from Paris to her home base in Dallas.
Midway across the Atlantic, the crew learned that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Then came the report of the second airliner, another American plane, hitting the second tower.
“They told us American 49 land your airplane immediately in Gander, Newfoundland,” she said. “So off we go to Gander. It was one of the hardest PAs I’ve ever had to make because I made up my mind that I was going to not make up a story about why we were going to Gander.
“We were the 36th out of the 38 wide bodies to touch down in a three-hour timeframe. We got parked and the Canadian officials came on the airplane and they said ‘You will not be getting off until sometime tomorrow.’ We landed at about 10:15 in the morning on Sept. 11. So we were on the airplane a total of 28 hours before we were deplaned “
Deplaning began the crew and passengers’ five-day stay in Gander, part of the 7,000 people who were stranded in the town of 9,400. The townspeople welcomed them with food – some 285,000 meals were served – while opening their homes and treating strangers like long lost friends.
That relationship is the core of the musical, which comes to the Lied Center for Performing Arts for the first of seven performances Wednesday.
The musical’s writers interviewed many of those stranded, including Bass, who was asked questions at a 10th-anniversary reunion in Gander in 2011. “Come From Away” takes everything, including its title, from real people and events.
“We’re called the ‘come from aways,’” Bass said. “Do you know why that it is? In Newfoundland, if you are not born there, you have come from away. So we were the ‘come from aways.’”
Bass retired from American at age 56 to protect her pension when the airline was facing bankruptcy. She’s now 70 and flies a private jet – when she isn’t going to see “Come From Away.”
She’s seen the musical 172 times and will soon be going to a couple more performances. Her critique:
“They rarely ever make a mistake, but I know every word, every line,” she said. “However, I cannot sing and I cannot dance. So they’ll never ask me to fill in.
“… At the end of the show, every single performance people just bolt to their feet. .. It makes me very proud. And anybody who had any hesitation about seeing the show because of its connection to 9/11, they quickly learn that they did not need to worry about that. At all.”
Asked about “Me and the Sky” becoming her last legacy, Bass acknowledged that she will be remembered because of the song, but it’s not going to be her legacy.
“What’s really fun is my daughter is a pilot for American now,” she said. “So what I say is the legacy will live on through my daughter.”
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Lincoln’s most requested musical acts
Green Day

Bridging the gap between punk rock and pop, Green Day has been around since 1986 before becoming a sensation with 1994’s “Dookie.” Since then, they’ve released eight albums and a number of chart-topping singles. Unfortunately, the band chose Omaha for a 2017 concert.
Bruce Springsteen

While he may be synonymous with New Jersey, Lincoln residents overwhelmingly requested The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, to come to the Capitol City. A wide variety of chart-topping songs and classic albums make it easy to understand why, as well as an album called “Nebraska.”
Foo Fighters

Since forming in the wake of Nirvana’s breakup in 1994, the Foo Fighters have been one of rock’s most consistent modern acts. They’ve also made a big impression on Lincoln listeners and were our most requested group.
Adele

A record-breaking recording act, Adele has sold out shows and become one of the top-selling recording artists of the past decade on the strength of her second album, “21.” She’s toured more or less since then, stopping only briefly to record the similarly successful followup, “25.”
Imagine Dragons

After a host of songs from the band’s debut album, “Night Visions,” made Imagine Dragons a household name, the group has been touring near constantly.
Jack White

While Jack White may have started his musical career in a garage in Detroit with his ex-wife as a part of the White Stripes, he’s become one of the biggest names in music through bluesy guitar solos, garage-rock anthems and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music, new and old.
Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s a long way from her start as a niche singer-songwriter country act. Over the course of only a few years, she has blossomed into one of today’s biggest, most recognizable musical acts. Her willingness to experiment and not be tied to one genre or style has led her to be a favorite across generations of fans.
Sting

After leaving The Police in 1981, Sting began to find solo success at the end of the decade, eventually overshadowing his early success with songs like “All this Time” and “We’ll be Together.”
Coldplay

British pop-rock act Coldplay was requested repeatedly. The band is best known for songs “Yellow” and “Viva la Vida.” Unfortunately, the band doesn’t plan to tour anytime soon.
Ellie Goulding

Critical darling Ellie Goulding rapidly ascended the British pop charts when she burst onto the scene in 2009. Since then, she’s toured with U2, collaborated with Skrillex and had music on the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack.
OneRepublic

One of the many bands to find popularity in the early days of MySpace, OneRepublic has released three albums and been touring almost constantly since 2008.
U2

What began as an experiment in blending classic rock with the then-popular sound of electronica and punk rock eventually turned into one of the world’s biggest bands, U2. Nearly 40 years and 13 albums after forming, the group is still making headlines and selling out shows on some of the planet’s biggest stages.
Sarah McLachlan

As known for her work with the ASPCA as her career as a singer-songwriter, Sarah McLachlan’s still going strong after more than 20 years.
Tori Amos

Bolstered by near constant play on MTV, singer-songwriter Tori Amos became a sensation with ballads promoting feminism and empowerment and attacking political and religious institutions.
Pink

She’s performed twice in Lincoln already, but pop-provocateur Pink is still a draw.
Slayer

One of the most consistently controversial metal bands, Slayer is still pumping out anti-establishment anthems the same way they have since 1981. Slayer came to Omaha on Nov. 18.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or [email protected]. On Twitter @KentWolgamott