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 on the West End in London.
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.[1]
In 2011, Sankoff and Hein visited Gander on the tenth anniversary of the attacks and spent almost a month interviewing people. Every event in the show is based on a real event, but they gathered more stories than could be included.[2] The characters are "a tribute" to the real people portrayed, but "not necessarily them".[3] Rubinoff used their initial script to produce a 45-minute workshop version for the Canadian Music Theatre Project in 2012.[2] It was the first show developed there.[1] 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.[2][4]
In 2013, Goodspeed Musicals included Come From Away in their workshop program,[1] 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 and First Date.[2][5]
Synopsis
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the townsfolk of Gander (including Claude the mayor, Oz the police constable, Beulah the teacher, Bonnie the SPCA worker, and others) describe life in Newfoundland and how they learn of the terrorist attacks taking place in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania ("Welcome to the Rock").
The attacks result in the closure of US airspace, diverting 38 international aircraft to Gander International Airport. The passengers on these aircraft doubled the population of the small Newfoundland town, which is unequipped for the influx of stranded travelers ("38 Planes"). The Gander townspeople spring to action and prepare to house, feed, clothe, and comfort the nearly 7,000 passengers, along with 19 animals in cargo ("Blankets and Bedding"). Meanwhile, the pilots, flight attendants, and passengers are initially forbidden from leaving the planes, forcing them to contend with confusing and conflicting information about what has happened and why they were suddenly grounded ("28 Hours / Wherever We Are").
Once allowed off the planes and transferred to nearby emergency shelters ("Darkness and Trees"), the passengers and crew watch replays of the attacks on the news and learn the true reason why they were grounded ("Lead Us Out of the Night"). The frightened and lonely passengers desperately try to contact their families and pray for their loved ones while the townsfolk work through the night to help them in any and every way they can ("Phoning Home / Costume Party"). The travelers are initially taken aback by their hosts' uncommon hospitality, but they slowly let their guards down and begin to bond with the quirky townsfolk and each other. The "islanders" in Gander and the surrounding towns open up their homes to the "plane people", regardless of their guests' race, nationality, or sexual orientation. Two women, Beulah (from Gander) and Hannah (from New York), bond over the fact that both of their sons are firefighters, but Hannah's son remains missing after the attacks ("I Am Here"). Hannah asks Beulah to take her to a Catholic church, and a number of characters make their way to other houses of worship around town ("Prayer").
To alleviate rising fear and mounting tensions ("On The Edge"), the townspeople invite the passengers to be initiated as honorary Newfoundlanders at the local bar ("Heave Away / Screech In"). The gravity of the attacks nevertheless continues to set in as US airspace is eventually reopened. One trailblazing pilot, Beverley Bass, comments on how her once optimistic view of the world has suddenly changed ("Me and the Sky"). While one pair of passengers develops a romance despite the terrible circumstances ("The Dover Fault/Stop the World"), another couple's long-term relationship falls apart under the stress of the event.
As the passengers and crew fly away to their homes, they joyously exchange stories of the immense kindness and generosity that the Newfoundlanders showed the strangers in their time of need ("Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere"), but not before a Muslim traveler, faced with increasing prejudice from his fellow passengers, undergoes a humiliating strip search prior to boarding. The townsfolk in Gander return to normalcy but comment on how empty their town now seems and how different the world now feels. The passengers and airline staff who return to the United States are faced with the horror of the attacks' aftermath — including Hannah, who learns that her firefighter son died during the rescue efforts ("Something's Missing").
Ten years later, the crew and passengers of the once stranded planes — the "come from aways" — reunite in Gander, this time by choice, to celebrate the lifelong friendships and strong connections they formed in spite of the terrorist attacks ("Finale"), as Claude the mayor professes, "Tonight we honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found."
"38 Planes (Reprise)†/Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere" – Beverley, Company
"Something's Missing" – Company
"Finale" – Company
"Screech Out" † – Band
† Not listed on the show's Playbill,[21] but included on the cast recording[22]
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.[23] It was "a hit", and was extended twice until July 12, 2015.[24] The production was nominated for eight Craig Noel Awards[25] and won six.[26]
The musical then played at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, where it began performances on November 13, 2015.[27]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,[28] 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".[29] It was extended by a week and closed December 20, 2015.[30]
Come from Away began performances at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on September 2, 2016.[31] It was set to close on October 9, 2015, but was extended through October 16.[32] Later in October, the cast played two concert performances in Gander at the Steele Community Centre.[3]
It played a final pre-Broadway engagement at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, beginning performances on November 15, 2016.[33] 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 and meet the demand.[34] 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.[35]
Broadway (2017–2022)
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway during its run of Come from Away
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, and music direction by Ian Eisendrath.[36] Before the March 15, 2017, performance, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a speech to the audience. The performance was also attended by other Canadian politicians, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and Ivanka Trump.[37][38]
At the 71st Tony Awards, Come From Away was nominated for seven Tonys, including Best Musical.[39] It won one, Best Direction for Christopher Ashley.[40] The show was reported to have a $12million capitalization, and recouped in about eight months.[41]
On March 12, 2020, Come from Away was one of 31 shows affected by the closure of all Broadway theatres due to COVID-19.[42][43] The show reopened on September 21, 2021, after a year and a half of closure.[44] Prior to the reopening, members of the company performed a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate 20 years since the September 11 attacks.[45] On June 8, 2022, it was announced that the Broadway production would close on October 2, 2022, after 25 previews and 1,669 regular performances, making it the 49th longest running show on Broadway.[46][a]
Canadian productions
Original Canadian production (2018–2021)
Following the success of the pre-Broadway engagement, Mirvish Productions announced they would be opening a Canadian production of Come from Away that would include an all-Canadian cast.[48][49] In July 2017, the cast for the production was announced.[50]
The original Canadian production played an engagement in Winnipeg at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre between January 12 and February 3, 2018.[51] The entire four-week run sold out before perfomances began.[52] Following this, the production began performances at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on February 13, 2018.[53] It recouped its full capitalization in 14 weeks.[54] The show ended its run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on January 20, 2019.[55] This allowed the production to move to the nearby Elgin Theatre, since Mirvish was staging Dear Evan Hansen at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in March 2019.[56]
While the production was moved between theatres, the cast performed eight benefit concerts of the show at the Holy Heart Theatre in St. John's.[57] The show opened at the Elgin Theatre on February 5, 2019.[58] Following the early closure of Dear Evan Hansen, Come from Away closed at the Elgin Theatre on December 1, and again transferred back to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, where it resumed performances on December 13, 2019.[59] The musical played there until March 2020, when Mirvish suspended all performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[60]
After a 21-month hiatus, Come from Away reopened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on December 15, 2021.[61] After a crew member tested positive for COVID, the show announced it would cancel four performances, planning to resume on December 28. Mirvish subsequently announced on December 27 the show was closed permanently, citing pandemic-related financial difficulties. Its final performance was December 22, 2021.[62]
Canadian revival (2024–2025)
In May 2022, it was reported that a revival of the Canadian production of Come from Away was planned to play in Ottawa and Toronto in 2024, with the support of federal government funding.[63] The casting was announced in June 2024, with the majority of the cast returning from the previous Toronto production. The cast also included, for the Ottawa run, Irene Sankoff as Bonnie & others.[64]
Come from Away played a limited engagement at the Babs Asper Theatre in Ottawa between August 14 and September 1, 2024.[64] It then began performances at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on September 22, 2024[64] and closed May 4, 2025.[65]
Other Canadian productions
Several productions of Come from Away have been staged in Gander. From July 7 to September 3, 2023, a sold-out production ran at the Joseph R Smallwood Arts & Culture Centre. The cast included Broadway cast members Petrina Bromley as Beverley/Annette & others and Astrid Van Wieren as Diane & others.[66][67] Local productions have also run in the summers of 2024 and 2025, directed by Jillian Keiley.[68][69]
Come from Away began a North American tour in October 2018 at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.[71] The cast included Becky Gulsvig as Beverley/Annette & others, Kevin Carolan as Claude & others, and Megan McGinnis as Bonnie & others.[72] The tour recouped in 19 weeks.[73]
The production was halted on March 16, 2020 after new COVID restrictions were announced.[79] It reopened on July 22, 2021, after 17 months of closure.[80] The West End production closed on January 7, 2023, after 1,048 performances.[81]
Australia (2019–2023)
An Australian production opened at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne in July 2019.[82] The cast included Nicholas Brown as Kevin J./Ali & others and Katrina Retallick as Diane & others.[83] The production was affected by multiple lockdowns in Australia due to COVID-19.[84] The company was planned to tour several cities in China, but the tour was canceled due to COVID-19.[85][86][87] It has toured in Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra, and broke box office records in both Melbourne and Canberra.[88]
UK & Ireland tour (2024–2025)
A touring production of Come from Away began March 1, 2024, at the Curve Theatre in Leicester.[89] The cast included Amanda Henderson as Beulah & others. The tour closed January 5, 2025.[90]
Other countries
Europe
A Swedish-language production played in Norrköping from September 26 to October 25, 2020, and in Linköping from November 20, 2020, to January 9, 2021, at the Östgöta Theatre.[91]
A Dutch production premiered at the Luxor Theater in Rotterdam on November 18, 2021. The cast included Willemijn Verkaik as Beverley/Annette & others.[92] It ran until June 6, 2022.[93]
A production played at Kwanglim Arts Center in Seoul through February 18, 2024.[105]
A production began at Nissay Theatre in Tokyo on March 7, 2024, and played at several other theatres in Japan through May 2024.[106][107]
A production played at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Manila from June 6 to June 29, 2025.[108]
Critical reception
Seattle
Misha Berson, writing for the Seattle Times, praised Christopher Ashley's fluid staging, calling the show a "meaningful balm to the benumbed psyche". Berson closed the review noting how the show "honors our capacity for humble goodness and mutual empathy in the shadow of faith-shattering evil".[109]
Jay Irwin with Broadway World called the production "the best musical I've seen all year and possibly ever".[110]
Washington, DC
David Gerson with DC Metro Theatre Arts called the show "one of the most refreshing pieces of art that I have seen in years. The folk and country influenced pop score is tuneful and the cast sings the hell out of it."[111] Peter Marks, in his review in The Washington Post, said "if the book's mechanics unfold with too much sugar, the score has an infectious, gritty vitality: Especially good is a number set in a Gander pub, choreographed by Kelly Devine, during which a risibly nutty local initiation rite is performed, involving the embrace of a recently caught codfish."[112]
Toronto
Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail wrote that "the accessible story, strong emotional core and gorgeous songwriting should not distract from how original and smart this gem of a musical is."[113] Robert Cushman of the National Post said "Both in its substance and in its treatment, it’s outstandingly sensible".[114] Liz Braun of the Toronto Sun gave the show a perfect 5-star review, writing "Blame Canada: a grim day in American history has been transformed into a joyous and emotional musical about the indomitable human spirit."[115] Alan Henry of Broadway World said "You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be a better person when you leave the theatre. Don't miss 'Come From Away'."[116]
Broadway
Ben Brantley, chief theatre critic for The New York Times, wrote "Try, if you must, to resist the gale of good will that blows out of 'Come From Away,' the big bearhug of a musical", though it "starts off in a grating key of deep earnestness" and there are "moments that feel a little too heartwarming". However, "even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure." He awarded the show the Critics' Pick designation.[117]
Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News called the show "big-hearted and crowd-pleasing" and "a singing reminder that when things are at their worst, people can be at their best".[118]
Joe Westerfield with Newsweek wrote that "'Come From Away' accomplishes what all the best musicals do: It takes you to a place where you didn't know you wanted to go, and makes you not want to leave."[119]
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called the musical "heartwarming and thoroughly entertaining ... especially in these politically fractious times".[120]
Johnny Oleksinski with the New York Post wrote that "Every New Yorker must see this show", referring to the musical as "Broadway's biggest and best surprise of the season".[121]
Peter Marks of The Washington Post called the show an "effervescent musical" and "an antidote for what ails the American soul".[122]
Michael Dale of Broadway World called the show an "inspiring, funny and kick-ass beautiful new musical" and went on to say that "as long as 'Come From Away' is playing on Broadway, I will recommend it to everyone. Everyone."[123]
Steven Suskin, drama critic for The Huffington Post, wrote that "'Come From Away' is altogether different and altogether gripping, ... brave and new and unusual and overwhelmingly heart-tugging."[124]
Robert Kahn with NBC called the piece "a dignified, often funny new musical" which "find[s] a spiritual angle to a horrific story, depicting the goodness in humanity while still allowing us room for the feelings of loneliness and fear that will always be connected to that time."[125]
Jennifer Vanasco with WNYC called the show "a love letter – to Newfoundland, to New York, to what people can do if they set aside fear and hate. Don't miss it."[126]
In a more negative review, Jesse Green of New York Magazine called it "aggressively nice", and wrote that "New Yorkers may be permitted a bit of side-eye about a work that borrows our local tragedy as background for 100 minutes of Canadian civic boosterism." However he called it "tightly directed" and "sung beautifully".[127]
Recording
An original Broadway cast recording was released digitally on March 10, 2017, and physically on March 24, 2017.[128] It peaked at number 92 on the Top Current Albums chart and number two on the Cast Albums chart.[129][130]
On September 17, 2021, as part of a series of events for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Covers from Away was released by Craft Recordings.[131] The album featured songs from the show covered by artists from Newfoundland and Labrador, including Alan Doyle, The Once, The Irish Descendants, and The Dardanelles.[132]
Pippa Ailion, Natalie Gallacher and Katherine Skene
Won
Criticisms
Sobia Shaheen Shaikh and Jennifer A. Selby criticized Come from Away for playing a part in protecting Newfoundland from the history of Islamophobia post-9/11. In the show, the town of Gander is "exceptionally friendly" in nature, which they call a "narrative [that] has done work to shield critique of Islamophobia and other forms of racism in [Newfoundland]".[145]
Adaptations
Cancelled theatrical feature film
In November 2017, it was announced that The Mark Gordon Company would produce a feature film adaptation of the musical, with Sankoff and Hein writing the screenplay and Christopher Ashley as director.[146] In April 2019, Sankoff and Hein stated that the intention was to shoot in Gander and cast lesser-known actors, with Gander residents as extras.[147] The adaptation was placed on hold indefinitely in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[148]
In February 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the performing arts, it was announced Entertainment One and RadicalMedia would film Come from Away live on stage, employing over 200 actors and workers. A May 2021 staging at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater with Ashley directing and Gordon as producer was filmed. The production team included Jennifer Todd, Bill Condon and one of the stage production's producers, Junkyard Dog Productions. Sankoff, Hein, Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick and Meredith Bennett executive produced.[149][150] In April 2021, Apple TV+ acquired the film's distribution rights.[151] It was released on September 10, 2021, one day before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.[152]
↑ Böke, André (February 25, 2025). "Come From Away". musicalzentrale (in German). Archived from the original on September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
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