Who would think that the most uplifting, life-affirming piece of musical theater to have emerged from Broadway in the last decade would be about Sept. 11, 2001? But bless the Canadian theater-creating couple of Irene Sankoff and David Hein for finding a silver lining in this very dark cloud.

The U.S. government responded to the events of Sept. 11 by immediately closing American air space. This meant that 38 inbound international flights that were already in the air were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, near the easternmost point of North America. Overnight, a town of 9,000 almost doubled in population, hosting passengers from around the world for five days.

How they did it is the basis of “Come From Away,” the musical that Sankoff and Hein created from research that not only included interviews with locals and travelers involved, but also an education in the Celtic-flavored folk styles of the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Yes, they found that shock, anger, fear, sadness and bewilderment were present in these passengers, but they also pieced together a story of kindness, generosity and an emerging sense of faith in humanity when it was most desperately needed.

A North American touring production of “Come From Away” has landed at St. Paul’s Ordway Music Theater for 10 days, and it might be the ideal elixir for any hearts battered by a world full of suffering and cynicism. With an extraordinarily versatile high-energy cast of 12 rapidly transforming into multiple characters, it’s a fascinating story firmly rooted in very relatable realism.

And, despite tragedy being its catalyst, “Come From Away” is actually a musical comedy about culture clash, unlikely friendships and making the best of a bad situation.

Each actor fully inhabits whomever they happen to be at that moment, be they the locals turning everything into lodging, an animal rescuer, a reporter on her first week on the job, or such travelers as a gay couple and an African American man uncertain how they’ll be received.

Director Christopher Ashley earned a Tony nomination and an Olivier Award (the London equivalent) for this production, and it’s easy to see why, for “Come From Away” requires a rare combination of tightly choreographed teamwork and distinctly individual characters.

While each performer makes a strong impression, the performance I attended featured a memorable turn by an understudy, Dekontee Tucrkile, as a woman awaiting news of her New York firefighter son (her sad ballad, “I Am Here,” was delivered with exquisite tenderness). She was complemented well by Kristin Litzenberg as the joke-telling schoolteacher who befriends her and Addison Garner as the pioneering pilot, Beverley Bass, who presents a show-stopping memoir in song, “Me and the Sky.” Kudos also to Shawn W. Smith, Stanton Morales and Molly Samson as characters transformed by love lost and found.

But the glue that holds the show together is the excellent eight-piece band led by Sarah Pool Wilhelm, which weaves in and out of the action and concludes this inspiring musical with a post-curtain-call jam session.

‘Come From Away’

When: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 p.m. next Sunday

Where: Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St. Paul

Tickets: $180-$35, available at 651-224-4222 or ordway.org

Capsule: If your faith in humanity could use a boost and your heart some softening, get to the Ordway.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

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The official first day of summer isn’t until June 20, but already, there’s a sure stellar sign of summer on the rise. When the night sky finally darkens around 10:30, the “Summer Triangle” emerges in the eastern sky. Unlike the 65 to 70 official constellations we can see around here, the Summer Triangle is an “asterism,” a distinct pattern or picture in the stars that isn’t an official constellation. Most asterisms are composed of bright stars from various constellations, and the Summer Triangle is no exception. It’s a sight that can be enjoyed even from a brightly lit urban area, making it accessible to all. Simply look for the three brightest stars in the low to mid-eastern sky, and you’ve found it. Each of these stars is the brightest in their respective constellations and has unique characteristics.

The most brilliant and highest star in the Summer Triangle is Vega. No, it’s not named after the car Vega, one of the 1970s rollouts from Chevrolet that had a very brief run. Vega is an Arabic name that roughly translates in English as “falling or swooping.” That definition certainly doesn’t apply to Vega, at least not at this time of the year, as it rises in the evening. Vega is the brightest star in a small constellation called Lyra the Lyre, an old-fashioned harp. Vega is over 25 light-years away, with just one light-year equaling nearly 6 trillion miles. The light we see from Vega this week left that star when Beanie Babies were wildly popular in the late ’90s. Vega is about 2 million miles in diameter and 17,000 degrees Fahrenheit. at its surface, more than twice the diameter and 7,000 degrees hotter than our sun. You can tell that Vega is one of the hotter stars in the sky by the faint blue tinge it shines with.

The second-brightest star in the Summer Triangle is Altair, located in the lower right corner of the eastern sky. Altair, the brightest star in the Aquila constellation, is the closest star in the triangle, just over 16 light-years away. Despite its proximity, even the best backyard telescopes won’t reveal anything special about Altair. However, astronomers have discovered that Altair has a fast spin through spectroscopic analysis. It completes a full rotation on its axis every 10 hours, compared to our sun’s monthlong rotation. This rapid spin causes Altair to be much fatter at its equator than at its poles, giving it an oval shape. It’s a star with a beer belly!

My favorite star in the Summer Triangle is the faintest member in the left-hand corner. It’s Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, also known as the Northern Cross. Deneb is one incredibly large and luminous star. According to the latest data, this star at the tail of the heavenly swan is at least 1,500 light years away but very possibly much farther! As bright as Deneb is, considering its vast distance, it’s easy to conclude that it’s enormous. In fact, it may be over 200 million miles in diameter and emitting at least 55,000 times more light than our sun, but probably much more. If you could magically pull Deneb in from its 1,500 light-year distance to the proximity of Vega, about 25 light-years away, the only thing that would be brighter in the sky would be the full moon! Deneb is one of the biggest single things you can see with the naked eye in our early summer skies!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications.net. Mike is available for private star parties. You can contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.

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Minnesota United took the field against FC Dallas on Saturday with 11 players, per rules, but they did so with a whopping 11 players absent, including eight away on international duty.

The shorthanded Loons scored first and held on for a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Allianz Field.

MNUFC (8-3-5, 29 points) dropped points at home, but making do without players responsible for nearly 6,000 MLS minutes can be looked at as a positive. Dallas (3-8-5, 14 points), which had only two minor players away for international team duties, continues to languish in the bottom of the Western Conference.

MNUFC established a very high press to start the match and FC Dallas insisted on playing out of the back. Goalkeeper Maarten Paes’ bad pass was won by Bongi Hlongwane, and it bounced to Hassani Dotson, who slotted in the opening goal in the ninth minute.

Dallas had scored the third-fewest goals in MLS this season but had success on set pieces. They ran a short corner, a tactic they have employed this season, and after they worked the ball around, Liam Fraser equalized in the 15th minute.

Minnesota outshot Dallas 10-3, including 4-1 on target. Dotson had another long-range shot, but Paes denied it.

Victor Eriksson, who made his first start Saturday, made a nice recovery run and intervention to deny former U.S. men’s national team player Jesus Ferreira in the 34th minute. Ferreira got in behind Michael Boxall, but Eriksson stepped up in a big moment.

Eriksson had a rough MLS debut at Philadelphia on March 30 but was much better in Saturday’s first half.

Briefly

The Loons had four Minnesotans on the field at the same time. Devin Padelford (Maplewood), Caden Clark (Wayzata), Kage Romanshyn (Apple Valley) and Patrick Weah (Minneapolis). That might have been a record for the local club. … MNUFC called up four players on short-term loans for Saturday’s match: midfielders Romanshyn and Molik Jesse Khan, defender Morris Duggan and goalkeeper Alec Smir. … Romanshyn and Duggan made their MLS debuts in the second half. Micky Tapias has received his U.S. green card and will vacate an international roster spot. He has been awaiting the return of his passport in Mexico and it’s setting up for him to be back in Minnesota next week. … Zarek Valentin returned from international duty with Puerto Rico and was available off the bench. … The Loons printed a placard of Robin Lod to promote his MLS All-Star Game bid. Lod, who has 15 combined goal contributions this season, was fifth on the ballot for attacking midfielders as of midweek. He was behind, in order: Luciano Acosta (Cincinnati); Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy); Thiago Almada (Atlanta); Emil Forsberg (New York Red Bulls).

A new pageant made history Saturday in Minnesota.

The first Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant took place at Hamline University in St. Paul. It was founded by Angel Jones, whose daughter DaMaris represented Minnesota at the third annual National Miss Juneteenth Pageant in 2022 in Galveston, Texas.

Jones founded the local Miss Juneteenth nonprofit with the mission to create a platform that will provide Black women with educational, networking and career opportunities. One of the main objectives of the Miss Juneteenth Minnesota Pageant is to help women of color rediscover their history and heritage by educating them about the purpose of Juneteenth by exposing their gifts and talents in a pageant setting, Jones said.

Saturday’s pageant kicked off with the Rev. William Pierce from Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis opening with a prayer. Then, Monique Blakey took the stage and led everyone in the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The pageant consisted of five divisions: Little Miss Juneteenth, ages 6 to 9; Junior Miss Juneteenth, ages 10 to 13; Teen Miss Juneteenth, ages 14 to 18; Miss Juneteenth, ages 19 to 24; and Ms. Juneteenth, ages 25 to 30.

Twenty-one contestants graced the stage as they were not judged by beauty but on talents, professionalism, stage presence and confidence.

The first category showcased physical fitness. Each contestant strutted down the stage, demonstrating the significance of fitness in their life.

Then contestants showed off a personal talent. Talents included dancing, singing, artwork, reciting poetry and public speaking.

Last was the evening gown competition, followed by a short question-and-answer round.

Between categories, different people showed off their talents to celebrate and recognize Juneteenth and Black culture.

Joe Davis, a local poet, recited an original poem titled “It’s Our Time.” Monica Fountain, a writer and educator, spoke on rediscovering culture and redefining freedom. Step with Soul, a nonprofit that “empowers the youth through the art of stepping,” performed multiple routines for the audience.

Nearing the end of the pageant, one contestant was crowned from each division by 2022 Miss Juneteenth DaMaris Marjett Jones.

“In these past few weeks, watching them grow and learn new things about themselves, I feel very excited to see what they get to do in the future,” Jones said.

Here are the winners of the Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant:

The winners smile to the crowd at the end of the Miss Juneteenth Minnesota 2024 pageant. From left: Miss Juneteenth 2022 DaMaris Marjett Jones, Little Miss Juneteenth Ceray’na Alexander, Junior Miss Juneteenth Lamaria Swain, Teen Miss Juneteenth Kamira Nelson, Miss Juneteenth Breona Maynard and Ms. Juneteenth Khadijah Lamah. (Devanie Andre / Pioneer Press)

Little Miss Juneteenth Ceray’na Alexander: She showed her talent by dancing to “This is Me” by Keala Settle and when she grows up, she wants to be an actor.

Junior Miss Juneteenth Lamaria Swain: Her favorite subject in school is English and she has a natural talent for dancing.

Teen Miss Juneteenth Kamira Nelson: What she’s going to take away from this competition is “feeling more comfortable in her Black skin and Black hair.” She showed off her singing and rapping skills and next year she plans on enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.

Miss Juneteenth Breona Maynard: She has a talent for painting and, to her, a good role model is someone who is caring and loving at all times regardless of the circumstances.

Ms. Juneteenth Khadijah Lamah: She’s a second-grade teacher and gave a speech with the memorable words, “Black women, stand up and take space.” In her opinion, the most challenging issue for younger generations is low academic rates. She also hopes to see more Black and brown teachers in schools.

“I worked really hard, and so did all the other women. It just feels amazing to see your hard work come to fruition,” Lamah said.

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