Hamilton creator praises Come From Away
The creator of the Broadway hit Hamilton is sharing effusive praise for the Canadian show Come From Away. Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted out a string of compliments Wednesday for the production’s “utterly talented” co-creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein. They penned the show that’s based on the true story of how the town of Gander, N.L., welcomed over 7,000 stranded airline passengers after 9/11.
Miranda tweeted that he “constantly blinked back tears of gratitude” during the “wonderful show.”
He also applauded how Sankoff and Hein build excitement and tension through the show by not relying on a typical theatre technique. Miranda explained that in the theatre world, the term “button” refers to when audiences are cued to applaud, usually at the end of a song. He was amazed that Come From Away only gives the applause cue three times during the entire show, including at the end of the opening and closing numbers. Underlining his point by posting in all-caps, he tweeted, “SO YOU’RE SEEING THIS INCREDIBLE KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY AND BEAUTIFUL WORK AND THEY DON’T LET YOU CLAP THE WHOLE SHOW.”
Miranda called the technique “incredibly effective” and joked Sankoff and Hein are “ruthless with your emotions.”
A Canadian production of the Tony Award-winning show is currently being staged in Winnipeg through Feb. 3 and moves to Toronto on Feb. 13. Sankoff and Hein are also working on a film adaptation of the show, which picked up a Grammy nomination for best musical theatre album in November.