Tickets are available now for the smash hit musical Come From Away at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway.
Officially opening in New York City on March 12, 2017, following previews from February 18, Come From Away quickly became the runaway hit of the season and a top contender in the awards sweepstakes. After winning the category of “Outstanding Musical” at both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, the musical earned a total of seven Tony nominations with Christopher Ashley ultimately taking home the prize for “Best Direction of a Musical”.
Ashley’s directorial choices remind us of the beauty and power of theatricality. Mixing together modest set pieces with great creative ideas and the audience’s capacity for imagination, Ashley 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.
Although the subject matter of the musical deals directly with the tragic events of 9/11 and its aftermath, and although there are inevitably heart-breaking moments in the show, the tone of Come From Away is actually much more celebratory than one might initially expect. Tony-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.
Original cast member Jenn Colella may have been singled out with a Tony nomination for her effortlessly appealing portrayals of Annette and, especially, 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. And more importantly, we identify with the type of ordinary citizen, we see represented before us, no matter where in the world we come from. So, if you come from away, you’re likely to be equally as moved by this modern saga as those directly affected in New York City.
(Photos by Matthew Murphy)
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