Come From Away steals hearts as it concludes Orlando Broadway season

Take a difficult, if not macabre, subject and enlighten it with a message of what mankind can do when faced with adversity and you have hope for the future.

That’s what Come From Away does for its audience as it covers a vast expanse of sensitive material but always with a respect for its complexity. The Canadian musical, based on a true story, tells the story of 9/11 from another angle.

When the United States shut down its airspace after the 911 attacks, 38 international aircraft carrying approximately 7,000 passengers and 19 animals were diverted to Gander International Airport. After spending many hours trapped inside the planes, the passengers were finally allowed to leave and they found a warm welcome from Newfoundland’s residents in the towns of Gander, Glenwood, Lewisporte, Appleton, Gambo and Norris Arms. The influx doubled the population of the area and this remarkable show tells the story of some of those involved.

The idea for the show was first conceived by Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto lawyer, who made contact with husband and wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein. In 2011, the couple visited Gander on the tenth anniversary of the attacks to interview locals and returning passengers. The couple then translated some of those stories directly to the musical and the show opened on Broadway in 2017.  Come From Away has become the longest running Canadian musical in Broadway history being nominated for 7 Tony Awards and won Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley.

The show is a bittersweet tribute to everything that happened on that fateful day when America was under attack. It offers a heartwarming lesson where humans unite and strangers become family in the face of adversity.

Come From Away runs for approximately 100 minutes in one act and it is impossible not to become engrossed in the story-line.

Come From Away

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