Review Roundup: COME FROM AWAY on Apple TV+ - See What the Critics Are Saying!

Come From Away is coming to Apple TV+, and the first reviews are in!

Come From Away is directed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley, who directed the original Broadway production, and stars an ensemble cast led by members of the Broadway show.

Check back later for an updated list of reviews.

The original book, music and lyrics were written by Tony and Grammy Award nominees and Olivier Award winners Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who will also serve as Executive Producers. The cast includes Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, De'lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Emily Walton, Jim Walton, Sharon Wheatley, and Paul Whitty.

Come From Away tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the "come from aways" into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what's happened while finding love, laughter, and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge.

The live performance of "Come From Away" was filmed at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre this past May in New York City, where the Broadway production is staged, for an audience that included 9/11 survivors and front-line workers; and, employed over 200 people including members of the Broadway crew, staff and creative teams.

The critics have spoken...

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David Clarke, BroadwayWorld: "Fearing a stage-to-screen capture may feel contrived, I was particularly concerned the cast doubling, which thematically showcases how similar we all are, would read as corny. Yet, Ashley's film direction makes his doubling concept for the stage work well in live capture too. He also balances the use of close-ups, full-stage shots, camera pans, and more to make the experience feel simultaneously filmic and intimate. Ashley's film plays beautifully at home and reminds us, especially those who haven't stepped foot inside a theater since before the pandemic, how magical experiencing live performance is."

Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times: Certainly, there is a double emotion involved in this Apple release: It coincides with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and was filmed in front of an invited audience at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater back in May, when all the other Broadway theaters remained shuttered. Christopher Ashley, whose work on the stage version earned him the 2017 Tony Award for best direction of a musical, acquits himself well in the transition to video. But this amiable production's temperature never rises above lukewarm: good sentiments are, unfortunately, difficult to dramatize, an issue compounded by a score that can feel like aural wallpaper.

Alphonso Duralde, The Wrap: "Director Christopher Ashley (the Broadway veteran's screen credits include 1995's "Jeffrey") dynamically translates the material from stage to streaming; he knows where the closeups need to go, and editors Virginia Katz and Leslie Jones always follow Tobias A. Schliesser's camera to exactly where it needs to be. (Ashley adds a level of poignance by opening on a masked audience making their way through an empty Times Square to attend the recording of the performance, linking New York's current struggle with one the city managed to bounce back from two decades ago.)"

Bruce R. Miller, St. Louis Post: "'Come From Away' provides such a release of emotions - in a good way - it should be required viewing for everyone who lived through that dark, dark day in American history. This brings unexpected light that proves Fred Rogers' belief: 'Look for the helpers' when times are frightening."

Amy Amatangelo, Paste Magazine: "With nothing to distract the viewer's eye, the bare-bones set brings the incredible performances to the forefront. The actors never leave the stage, just switch up a few costume items (a jacket, a hat) and a few accents to portray different characters. They move with a precise, soothing, seamlessly choreographed rhythm. For a show with a foundation in tragedy, it has some truly funny moments-many of which lovingly mock Gander's kindness."

Lilly Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle: "If you usually see musicals from the back of the second balcony, the camera uncovers a whole new layer of meaning. You can see the worry lines on actors' faces. You can see the deep care they put into listening to their scene partners. You can see the private moments of joy and whimsy they steal. You can see that when SPCA worker Bonnie (Petrina Bromley) tries to comfort the animals stuck in cages on airplanes, she tries to channel her whole being to them through her eyes."

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Watch the trailer here:

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