Checking in with the ‘Come From Away’ cast and crew,
Check in with six members of the Tony Award-winning, made-in-Canada musical. And see an all-new performance of ‘Welcome to the Rock,’ exclusive to the Star
KAREN FRICKER AND CARLY MAGA
“Come From Away” is the most successful show in Canadian-made musical theatre history. Three years into its run in Toronto, it was still packing houses.
Written by Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the smash-hit tells the true story of the Sept. 11, 2001 events in Gander, N.L., when more than three dozen international flights were forced to land at the small, East Coast city’s airport. Developed at three major American theatres, it played in Winnipeg and Toronto in 2016 — following a poignant, one-night concert showing in Gander. It then became a Broadway smash hit in 2017, picking up a Tony Award that year for Best Direction of a Musical.
It’s gone on to play in Ireland and Australia. Early this year, the show was continuing to pack houses on London’s West End, on Broadway and at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre after a hiatus at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre for most of 2019.
So when audiences started dwindling this past March, everyone knew something major was happening. Still, few suspected the coronavirus pandemic would shut down the international performing arts industry for five months — and counting. “Come From Away” performed the final show on Friday, March 13. The Star checked in with several cast and crew members about their months being offstage, away from their show and their theatre family.
‘WELCOME TO THE ROCK’
This spine-tingling Zoom version of the ‘Come From Away’ anthem shows the talent behind why the musical is a smash hit. Visit thestar.com/ comefromaway