Come from Away is a musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed.
After a successful pre-Broadway run, it opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017, and became a critical and box office success. A live recording of the production was released on September 10, 2021, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the attacks. The Broadway production closed on October 2, 2022, after playing 25 previews and 1,669 regular performances. It has had successful runs in several countries, including playing 1,048 performances in the West End in London.
At the 71st Tony Awards, the musical was nominated for seven awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jenn Colella, winning for Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley. At the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards, it was nominated for nine awards and won three, including Best New Musical.
Inception and development The show was conceived by Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto lawyer, theatre producer, and associate dean of visual and performing arts at Sheridan College in Oakville. After being turned down by several writers, he reached out to husband and wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein after seeing their 2009 show My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding. Sankoff and Hein, who had been living in New York during the September 11 attacks, did not find the concept bizarre, and felt that the idea of telling a Canadian story was inspiring.
In 2011, Sankoff and Hein visited Gander on the tenth anniversary of the attacks and spent almost a month interviewing people. Rubinoff used their initial script to produce a 45-minute workshop version for the Canadian Music Theatre Project in 2012. It was the first show developed there. The workshop was sufficiently successful that Rubinoff asked Sankoff and Hein to finish writing it for a full production at Sheridan in 2013. The full production, directed by Brian Hill, was an artistic success, but Rubinoff was unable to attract a Canadian producer for further development.
In 2013, Goodspeed Musicals included Come from Away in their workshop program, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in New York selected it as a showcase presentation, where its performance led to the show being optioned by Junkyard Dog Productions, the production company behind Memphis.
Come from Away is a 100-minute, one-act musical. Every event in the show is based on a real event, but Sankoff and Hein gathered more stories than could be included. The characters are "a tribute" to the real people portrayed, but "not necessarily them".
Synopsis On the morning of September 11, 2001, the townspeople of Gander describe life in Newfoundland and how they learn of the September 11 attacks on the radio ("Welcome to the Rock"). Claude, the mayor of Gander, is informed of the attacks by Janice, a new reporter in town, while at a local Tim Hortons. The town receives the news that the US airspace has been closed, causing US-bound flights to be diverted across Canada, including 38 to Gander International Airport ("38 Planes"). This nearly doubles the population of Gander, and the townspeople make preparations to care for the 7,000 stranded passengers. Beulah and Annette, two schoolteachers, prepare the local school to take in passengers, while Janice asks for the community to provide resources ("Blankets and Bedding").
For hours, the plane passengers are forbidden from leaving the planes, and are without information about the attacks. They express frustration and fear at being stranded. A Gander SPCA worker, Bonnie, goes into the plane holds to search for animals on the planes, and Claude reaches an agreement with Garth, a union leader, to pause the bus drivers' strike and transport passengers ("28 Hours/Wherever We Are"). The passengers are eventually transported to Gander and surrounding towns for shelter ("Darkness and Trees"). A Muslim passenger, Ali, is temporarily detained. The local bus drivers take passengers to the towns and explain the culture of Newfoundland while navigating language barriers with international passengers ("On the Bus"/"Darkness and Trees (reprise)"). The passengers learn why they were grounded and watch replays of the attacks on television ("Lead Us Out of the Night"). They attempt to contact their families ("Phoning Home") and experience disorientation and stress at their situation ("Costume Party").
The town tries to manage food, sanitation, and other necessities for the guests. Some of the passengers try to get home, but are informed by Oz, the constable of Gander, that travel to the US takes several days. Nick, a British passenger, and Diane, a Texan, go for a walk with a gay couple from Los Angeles, both named Kevin. Bonnie and her husband Doug discover two rare bonobo chimpanzees in the hold of a plane. An American, Bob, is asked to take grills from backyards to set up for a community cookout; he fears he will be shot for stealing, but he finds everyone is friendly and willing to help. Hannah, the mother of a New York firefighter, bonds with Beulah and worries about her son ("I Am Here"). Many of the passengers of various religious beliefs go to a local Catholic church or other spaces around town to pray ("Prayer"). Ethnic and national tensions erupt among the passengers and townsfolk ("On the Edge"). To alleviate this, the passengers are invited to a local bar and some are initiated as honorary Newfoundlanders ("Heave Away"/"Screech In"). One pilot who has been diverted, Beverley, reflects on her experience as the first female captain for American Airlines ("Me and the Sky").
The planes prepare to leave, and Ali is subjected to a strip search prior to leaving on suspicion he may be a terrorist. When flights are delayed, Nick and Diane go for a walk around the town and realize they will miss each other when they leave Gander ("The Dover Fault"/"Stop the World"). When the planes are cleared for takeoff, the passengers express happiness at returning to the US, and set up a donation fund for the people of Gander ("38 Planes" (reprise)"/"Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere"). After the events of the last five days, both the townspeople and passengers experience loneliness and fear about the state of the world; the two Kevins' relationship has fallen apart due to the stress of the crisis, and Hannah is devastated to learn her son has died ("Something's Missing").
Ten years after the attacks, the townspeople and the passengers reunite in Gander (including Diane and Nick, who have since married) and celebrate the relationships formed while the passengers were stranded ("Ten Years Later"/"Finale").
Characters and casts
Roles San Diego Seattle Washington, D.C. Toronto Broadway Canada North American tour West End20152016201720182019 Bonnie & others Petrina Bromley Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan Petrina Bromley Kristen Peace Megan McGinnis Mary Doherty Oz & others Geno Carr Eric Ankrim Geno Carr Cory O'Brien Harter Clingman Harry Morrison Beverley/Annette & others Jenn Colella Eliza-Jane Scott Becky Gulsvig Rachel Tucker Claude & others Joel Hatch George Masswohl Kevin Carolan Clive Carter Bob & others Rodney Hicks Kevin Vidal James Earl Jones II Nathanael Campbell Janice & others Allison Spratt Pearce Kendra Kassebaum Steffi DiDomenicantonio Emily Walton Emma Salvo Kevin T./Garth & others Chad Kimball Jack Noseworthy Andrew Samonsky David Shannon Nick/Doug & others Lee MacDougall James Kall Chamblee Ferguson Robert Hands Kevin J./Ali & others Caesar Samayoa Ali Momen Nick Duckart Jonathan Andrew Hume Hannah & others Q. Smith Saccha Dennis Danielle K. Thomas Cat Simmons Beulah & others Astrid Van Wieren Lisa Horner Julie Johnson Jenna Boyd Diane & others Sharon Wheatley Barbara Fulton Christine Toy Johnson Helen Hobson
Notable cast replacements Broadway (2017–2022) Nick/Doug & others: Jim Walton Beverley/Annette & others: Becky Gulsvig, Rachel Tucker North American tours (2019–2025) Janice & others: Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Julia Knitel London (2019–2023) Kevin T./Garth & others: David Thaxton Beverley/Annette & others: Alice Fearn
Musical numbers "Welcome to the Rock" – Company "38 Planes" – Company "Blankets and Bedding" – Company "28 Hours/Wherever We Are" – Company "Darkness and Trees" – Company "On the Bus" † – Company "Darkness and Trees" (reprise) † – Company "Lead Us Out of the Night" † – Company "Phoning Home" † – Company "Costume Party" – Diane, Hannah, Kevin T., Kevin J., company "I Am Here" – Hannah "Prayer" – Kevin T., company "On the Edge" – Company "In the Bar/Heave Away" † – Company "Screech In" – Claude, Company "Me and the Sky" – Beverley, women "The Dover Fault" † – Nick, Diane "Stop the World" – Nick, Diane, company "38 Planes" (reprise)†/"Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere" – Beverley, Company "Something's Missing" – Company "10 Years Later" † – Company "Finale" – Company "Screech Out" † – Band
† Not listed on the show's Playbill, but included on the cast recording
Productions Pre-Broadway tryouts (2015–2017) Come from Away had its first professional production in 2015. It premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego as a co-production with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, where it was directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Kelly Devine. Its first preview was on May 29, 2015, with an opening night on June 11, 2015 and an initial closing date of July 5, 2015. It was "a hit", and was extended twice until July 12, 2015. The production was nominated for eight Craig Noel Awards and won six. The musical then played at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, where it began performances on November 13, 2015. Examiner.com reported that Come From Away "set an all-time record for single ticket sales in a 24-hour period at Seattle Rep" as of December 1, 2015, and the managing director of Seattle Rep said it was "now officially the highest grossing work that the theatre has ever done in its 53-year history". It was extended by a week and closed December 20, 2015.
Come from Away began performances at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on September 2, 2016. It was set to close on October 9, 2016, but was extended through October 16. The production was nominated for 14 Helen Hayes Awards and won 4, including Outstanding Production. Later in October, the cast played two concert performances in Gander at the Steele Community Centre. It played a final pre-Broadway engagement at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, beginning performances on November 15, 2016. The show's entire run sold out during the second week of performances, and the venue added 16 extra seats and one extra performance to try to meet the demand. The musical also set a ticket sales record for the theatre, selling $1.7million in tickets in a single week. The show closed in Toronto on January 8, 2017.
Broadway (2017–2022)
Come from Away began previews on Broadway on February 18, 2017, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, and officially opened on March 12, 2017. Direction was by Christopher Ashley, choreography by Kelly Devine, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen. Before the March 15, 2017, performance, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a speech to the audience. At the 71st Tony Awards, Come From Away was nominated for seven Tonys, including Best Musical. It won one, Best Direction for Christopher Ashley. The show was reported to have a $12million capitalization, and recouped in about eight months.