Although the subject matter of Come From Away deals directly with the tragic events of 9/11 and its aftermath, the musical tone of Come From Away is more celebratory than you might initially expect. Tony Award-nominated writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein showcase the mighty resilience of the human spirit and how we selflessly and instinctively come together as a community in times of crisis. The score, heavily influenced by Canadian folk music, exemplifies the tone of camaraderie and optimism and perfectly complements the show’s running themes.
Come From Away quickly became a runaway hit on 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It was a top contender in the award seasons, earning seven Tony nominations and winning Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Mixing together modest set pieces with great creative ideas and the audience’s capacity for imagination, Come From Away transports us almost seamlessly from the inside of an airplane to the inside of a school gymnasium in the blink of an eye. Coupled with unique choreography by Kelly Devine, Come From Away is a living, breathing, organic piece of theatre about what happens to ordinary people when faced with extraordinary circumstances.
Original cast member Jenn Colella earned a Tony nomination for her portrayals of Annette and flight captain Beverley Bass, but the musical is truly an ensemble piece at its heart. The cast all take on multiple roles to tell this microcosm of a story that affected thousands in Gander, Newfoundland. Through subtle changes of costume, physicality or voice, we fully accept the scale of the events, despite the limited number of the cast itself.
The previous Come From Away cast included Petrina Bromley (as Bonnie & Others), De'Lon Grant (as Bob & Others), Rachel Tucker (as Beverley, Annette & Others), Joel Hatch (as Claude & Others), Chad Kimball (as Kevin T., Garth & Others), Kenita R. Miller (as Hannah & Others), Caesar Samayoa (as Kevin J., Ali & Others), Emily Walton (as Janice & Others), Jim Walton (as Nick, Doug & Others), Sharon Wheatley (as Diane & Others), Paul Whitty (as Oz & Others), and Astrid Van Wieren (as Beulah & Others).
A Come From Away film will be released on Apple TV+ on September 10. Find out more about the Come From Away film here.
All audience members are guaranteed to be moved by Come From Away, a modern saga of our times.
(Photos by Matthew Murphy)
10 images Come From Away is set against the backdrop of that infamous day in September 2001. In a heartbeat, 38 planes and 6,579 passengers were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, doubling the population of one small town on the edge of the world. On September 11, 2001 the world stopped. On September 12, their stories moved us all.
After being away from Come From Away for over a year, Sharon Wheatley was about to restart rehearsals. She, alongside most of the original Broadway cast, were preparing to perform in a taping of the musical, which is streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 10. But shortly beforehand, Wheatley became afraid she’d forgotten to do her character’s accent.
‘Come From Away’ reopens at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre next month.
Come From Away was filmed at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
Welcome (back) to the rock! Come From Away will reopen from Sept. 21, 2021.
A live-filmed version of the Broadway production of Come From Away has been confirmed, filmed on Broadway to be released in September 2021.
They say every cloud has a silver lining and in times of a crisis, this shines through in the form of human kindness and a spirit of community. Although we are technically in self-isolation for the time being, the efforts communities around the globe have made to support each other, both financially and emotionally, have been truly moving. There is arguably no better show that personifies this sentiment than the smash hit musical Come From Away, which officially opened at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway in March 2017.
The Broadway production of Come From Away's reputation has evolved from once being celebrated as "the little show that could" to now being regarded as an international success story.
Come From Away is a show that is greater than the sum of its parts. The script is iffy. The music is not exceptional. The sound is so loud that the lyrics are often unintelligible. The talent, it should be noted is not iffy one little bit. Not only are they skilled actors with voices that rock, THEY LOOK LIKE US. These are not stereotypes. There is not a beauty queen, swarthy leading man, or... Read more
