Come from Away

Come from Away
Music Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Lyrics Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Book Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Productions 2015 La Jolla
2015 Seattle
2016 Washington, DC
2016 Toronto

Come from Away is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the town of Gander, Newfoundland following the September 11 attacks when 38 planes had to unexpectedly land in the small town as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. The townspeople of Gander housed and fed the stranded passengers, who nearly doubled the population of the town. Following successful runs at the La Jolla Playhouse and the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2015, the play appears in 2016 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC and the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto,[1] and will then debut on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in March 2017.

History and productions

The idea for the show was first conceived by Michael Rubinoff, a Toronto lawyer and theatre producer and associate dean of visual and performing arts at Sheridan College.[2] After approaching various Canadian writing teams about the project, Rubinoff attracted Irene Sankoff and David Hein,[2] whose work he knew from their 2009 musical, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, which was a hit at the Toronto Fringe Festival and later picked up by Mirvish Productions.[3]

In 2011, Sankoff and Hein visited Gander on the tenth anniversary of the attacks to interview locals and returning passengers.[2] The couple translated some stories directly to the musical while others were merged for story purposes. Rubinoff used their initial script to produce a 45-minute workshop version for the Canadian Music Theatre Project, part of the Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance Program, in 2012. The workshop was sufficiently successful that Rubinoff invited Sankoff and Hein to finish writing it for a full production at Sheridan in 2013, as part of the college's regular theatrical season. The full production, directed by Brian Hill, was an artistic success, but Rubinoff was unable to attract a Canadian producer for further development.[3]

In the meantime, Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam, Connecticut included the show in their workshop program.[2] The National Alliance for Musical Theatre in New York selected it as a showcase presentation in fall 2013, where a performance, also directed by Brian Hill, led to the show being optioned by Junkyard Dog Productions, the production company behind Memphis, First Date and the Broadway production of Doctor Zhivago.[3][4]

The professional production was a collaboration by the La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2015.[5] The play had sold-out runs in each location. The musical opened at the La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015, directed by Christopher Ashley and featuring Joel Hatch as the Mayor of Gander, Jenn Colella as Beverley, a pilot, and Chad Kimball as Kevin.[6]

The musical is expected to premiere on Broadway on February 18, 2017 (previews) and officially on March 12 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.[7] The show plays out-of-town engagements at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D. C. from September 2, 2016 to October 9,[8][9] and then at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Canada from November 15, 2016 to January 8, 2017.[10] Direction is by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Kelly Devine.[11][12]

The Broadway cast and characters[13]

Synopsis

On the morning of September 11, 2001 the townsfolk of Gander, including Claude the mayor, Oz the constable, Beulah at the elementary school, Bonnie of the SPCA, and others tell the story of how they learned of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC ("Welcome to the Rock"). When US airspace is closed, air traffic control coordinates the landing of 38 planes at the Gander airport ("38 Planes"). The pilots, flight attendants, and passengers also deal with confusing and conflicting information about what had happened and why they were suddenly grounded but not allowed off the planes. Meanwhile, the townspeople are busy preparing to deal with housing, feeding, and comforting over 6,000 passengers. Once transferred to various emergency shelters across the island, the strangers begin to bond with the quirky townsfolk while trying to come to terms with what has happened and trying to contact their families.

Note: The music contains "rock, folk and Gaelic-sounding strains, performed by an onstage band."[6]

Musical numbers

Critical reception

Washington, DC

Peter Marks, in his review in The Washington Post, noted: "...if the book's mechanics unfold with too much sugar, the score has an infectious, gritty vitality: Especially good is a number set in a Gander pub, choreographed by Kelly Devine, during which a risibly nutty local initiation rite is performed, involving the embrace of a recently caught codfish."[14]

References

  1. ↑ Viagas, Robert "Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre Will Get a $2.5 Million Facelift" Playbill.com, May 6, 2016
  2. 1 2 3 4 "From Gander to Broadway". Toronto Star, November 13, 2016, Page E2. Tony Wong.
  3. 1 2 3 Ouzounian, Richard (December 14, 2015). "From Sept. 11 tragedy, a theatrical triumph". Toronto Star.
  4. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (February 16, 2016). "Come From Away, Musical About Travelers Stranded on 9/11, Is Broadway-Bound". Playbill.
  5. ↑ Hebert, James. "9/11-Themed ‘Come From Away’ Takes a Seattle Layover" americantheatre.com, November 24, 2015
  6. 1 2 McNulty, Charles. "Generosity overcomes terrorism in unpretentious 'Come From Away'" Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2015
  7. ↑ Viagas, Robert. 9/11 Musical 'Come From Away' Books a Broadway Theatre" Playbill, September 15, 2016
  8. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway-Bound Musical 'Come From Away '" Begins DC Run" Playbill, September 2, 2016
  9. ↑ Marks, Peter. "‘Come From Away’ stirs powerful memories of 9/11" The Washington Post, September 8, 2016
  10. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway Musical 'Come From Away' Begins in Toronto" Playbill, November 15, 2016
  11. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "New Musical 'Come From Away' Will Arrive On Broadway in February" Playbill, July 21, 2016
  12. ↑ Come From Away mirvish.com, accessed July 22, 2016
  13. ↑ Come From Away Playbill (vault), accessed November 15, 2016
  14. ↑ "Review Roundup: Broadway-Bound 'Come From Away' Opens in DC!" broadwayworld.com, September 12, 2016

External links

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