News Desk October 22nd, 2018
On the 11th September 2001 a terrible tragedy struck the United States of America. With fear at an all-time high, the United States Airspace closed meaning that 38 planes were forced to land in Gander, a tiny airport town on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. With 7,000 stranded passengers now stuck, the inhabitants of this tiny town sprung into action, and so Come From Away was born.
The idea for the musical was conceived by Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto Lawyer, before enlisting the help from husband and wife creative team, Irene Sankoff and David Hein. With the duo on board, the story took its first step in the direction of a musical. Heading to Gander for the ten-year anniversary of the terror attacks, Sankoff and Hein began speaking with residents and visitors (or the 'come from aways'), asking them to tell their stories.
After a few workshops where the pair played with ideas, Come From Away debuted at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse in 2015. After 'out-of-town' tryouts in Seattle, Washington and Toronto, Come From Away opened at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on March 12, 2017. Opening to scintillating reviews and public acclaim Come From Away garnered seven Tony nominations, winning the award for Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley.
So what happened in Gander?
Still playing to sell-out crowds on Broadway, Come From Away has embarked on its first national tour in October, has a regional production in Toronto AND recently announced their West End transfer. The story of Come From Away is going global!
Come From Away is a beautiful story of love triumphing over hate! Witness the story yourself, live in London!
it takes all of ten seconds to be in its generous embrace...It calls for quicksilver, charismatic acting and singing. It gets it from this versatile cast. It's an evening that, frankly, gets everything right.
The Times
