On September 11, 2001 the world stopped. On September 12, their stories moved us all.
COME FROM AWAY is the breathtaking musical that reminds you of what good the human spirit is capable of. Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and directed by Christopher Ashley, this musical shines a lot on the best of what we are capable in the absolute worst of times.
In a heartbeat, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers were stranded in a remote town in Newfoundland on a devastating day in September 2001. The locals in Gander opened their hearts and homes to thousands of stranded strangers, spurring unexpected camaraderie in extraordinary circumstances.
Could it be? Had the theater finally found a way to sing and dance with dignity regarding 9/11, a catastrophe that has, thus far, been the third rail of theatergoers' emotions? Well, 'Come From Away' may not be Broadway's first feel-good musical about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but it is a feel-pretty-nice musical. Think of the simple 100-minute show as psychological training wheels, perhaps a way to ease us into the unbearable stories our playwrights might someday ask us to confront.
Try, if you must, to resist the gale of good will that blows out of 'Come From Away,' the big bearhug of a musical that opened on Sunday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. But even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure...this Canadian-born production, written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein and directed by Christopher Ashley, is as honorable in its intentions as it is forthright in its sentimentality. And it may provide just the catharsis you need in an American moment notorious for dishonorable and divisive behavior...the show - based on interviews with the people who inspired it - covers a vast expanse of sensitive material with a respect for its complexity. It understands that much of what it portrays is guaranteed to stir fraught memories among many of us. And it mostly refrains from overegging what could have been a treacly, tear-salted pudding. Instead, it sustains an air of improvisational urgency, which feels appropriate to a show about making do in crisis, and it doesn't linger on obvious moments of heartbreak and humanity.
| 2016 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Ford's Theater Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
| 2017 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2018 | Toronto |
Toronto Production Toronto |
| 2018 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
| 2021 | West End |
Original West End Production West End |
| 2023 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Kelly Devine |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Toni-Leslie James |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Christopher Ashley |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Jenn Colella |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Come From Away |
| 2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | August Eriksmoen |
| 2017 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway of Off-Broadway Musical | Come From Away |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Kelly Devine |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Christopher Ashley |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Jenn Colella |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Come From Away |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) | Gareth Owen |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Kelly Devine |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Christopher Ashley |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Howell Binkley |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Howell Binkley |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Irene Sankoff |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Jenn Colella |
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