Kendra Kassebaum News

The new musical Come From Away will begin performances on Broadway on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) and officially open Sunday, March 12, 2017. Check out photos of the marquee below!

It's been a crazy year, Dear Readers. Lots of ups, lots of downs, and LOTS of emotions. And I'm not just talking about on stage. But let's not dwell on the bad things that may have happened in the world and focus on some of the amazing things Seattle theater companies gave us this past year, and let me tell you there were quite a few. So many in fact that in some categories I simply had to call out more than the usual Honorable Mentions as some performances just needed to be noted. You'll see what I mean especially when you get to the female categories as the ladies were certainly bringing it this year. But let's get started shall we? Out of the myriad shows I saw this year in Seattle, here are the shows and performances that truly stood out to me.

Just a few days ago I reviewed a show that, if you remember, I felt had one major downfall; that the newer songs bringing it from the film version to the stage version had lyrics written by Glenn Slater. Now, just a few blocks from that other production, Showtunes puts up a concert of another film to stage adaptation with all of the lyrics written by Glenn Slater and music from Alan Menken. And while there were certainly some wonderful voices in the concert it just proves one thing that Showtunes needs to pay attention to, not all shows need a revival.

Come From Away, a new musical about what happened when 38 planes landed in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, following the September 11 attacks, is set to begin a Broadway run this coming spring following a run in Toronto, which began last night. 

Come From Away is not a musical about the September 11th terrorist attacks - if anything it is the exact opposite. Come From Away is a musical about all that is good in people - compassion, care, love, acceptance, equality, and treating others with kindness. Truly, it is a musical written for now.

This weekend's big news: The Sutton Foster-led SWEET CHARITY opens Off-Broadway this Sunday!

This morning BroadwayWorld was on location in Toronto at the newly restored Royal Alexandra Theatre talking with the cast of Come From Away! Check out the video below!

The new musical COME FROM AWAY will honor the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and the "come from aways" whose lives inspired the new musical COME FROM AWAY with two special benefit concert performances at Gander's hockey arena.

The new musical COME FROM AWAY will begin performances on Broadway on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) and officially open Sunday, March 12, 2017, following productions at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre (Friday, September 2 - Sunday, October 16, 2016) and Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Sunday, January 8, 2017), and two special benefit concert performances in Gander, Newfoundland (Saturday, October 29, 2016). Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning today, October 24, 2016 at 10am EST, and will be available at www.telecharge.com (212.239.6200).

Jay and Cindy Gutterman bring a new comedy to the Wilmington Theatre Company in Wilmington, DE.

BroadwayWorld is pleased to present the opening number from the Broadway bound musical Come From Away. The performance was recorded today in Toronto at the annual Mirvish season launch event, and features the entire Washington  cast! Check out the video below!

The new musical Come From Away will begin performances on Broadway on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) and officially open Sunday, March 12, 2017, following productions at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre (Friday, September 2 - Sunday, October 16, 2016) and Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Sunday, January 8, 2017), and two special benefit concert performances in Gander, Newfoundland (Saturday, October 29, 2016). Click below to go behind the scenes with the band at Ford's Theatre!

Junkyard Dog Productions announced today that the new musical COME FROM AWAY will begin performances on Broadway on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) and officially open Sunday, March 12, 2017, following productions at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre (Friday, September 2 - Sunday, October 16, 2016) and Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Sunday, January 8, 2017), and two special benefit concert performances in Gander, Newfoundland (Saturday, October 29, 2016).

Ford's Theatre Society announced today that the new Irene Sankoff and David Hein musical 'Come From Away,' based on the heart-warming true story of how a small Canadian town cared for 6,579 airline passengers stranded in Newfoundland after 9/11, has extended due to popular demand.

Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by the married Canadian duo of Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away explores a subject area that's bound to bring up some painful memories for some. It's a September 11th musical, but not in the way you might expect. It's not about the towers, the Pentagon, or even really the loss of life. it is a story of a community bonding together to embrace passengers on the 38 planes that were diverted to Canada - specifically Newfoundland - when the U.S. Government closed American air space for the first time in U.S. history. It's one of those untold stories that is practically perfect for an original musical.

I had never even heard of the 1951 Lerner and Loewe musical PAINT YOUR WAGON when the Ordway announced it as part of their season. I guess that's not too surprising; it ran for less than a year on Broadway and has never been revived. The story was significantly rewritten for the 1969 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood, which also included a few new songs. Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre scrapped both the original and revised book (they're a little bit racist, and sexist) to write a new story set in the Gold Rush era of California, making it more reflective of the many diverse cultures that came together to build the great American West. This production has moved to the Ordway for two weeks, with a few local additions to the cast. This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die.

The producers of COME FROM AWAY announced today that they will honor the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and the 'come from aways' whose lives inspired the new musical COME FROM AWAY with two special benefit concert performances at Gander's hockey arena, The Steele Community Centre (155 Airport Boulevard, Gander, NL), on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 3pm (NDT) and 8pm (NDT). The benefit concerts, presented in association with the Town of Gander, NL, will star the cast of the Broadway and Toronto productions of COME FROM AWAY. Tickets are now on sale for the two benefit concert performances of COME FROM AWAY in Gander, NL and are $20. For reservations and more information please visit www.gandercanada.tix.com, or contact the Steele Community Centre box office at 709-651-5931 or in person between the hours of 10am (NDT) and 5:30pm (NDT), Monday throughFriday.

Junkyard Dog Productions announced today that the new musical Come From Away will begin performances on Broadway in February 2017 at a Shubert Theater to be announced, following productions at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre (Friday, September 2 - Sunday, October 9, 2016), and Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Sunday, January 8, 2017).

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts opens its 2016-17 season with an exciting new 'revisal' of Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon, Aug. 9-21. Featuring an all new book by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Jon Marans, the show opened at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in June 2016. Twin Cities audiences will be among the first in the world to experience this updated sweeping saga of the mythic West and the pursuit of the American Dream. Tickets for Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon start at $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

Ford's Theatre Society today announced the Ford's Theatre cast for the new musical Come From Away, directed by Christopher Ashley. The production features: Geno Carr (Old Globe's Allegiance), Jenn Colella (Broadway's If/Then); Joel Hatch (Broadway's Annie); Rodney Hicks (Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys); Kendra Kassebaum (Broadway's Wicked); Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan (Round House's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof); Chad Kimball (Broadway's Memphis); Lee MacDougall (Wizard of Oz National Tour); Caesar Samayoa (Broadway's Sister Act); Q. Smith (Broadway's Mary Poppins); Sharon Wheatley (Broadway's Avenue Q); and Astrid Van Wieren (Mama Mia National Tour).