"Come From Away" at the Guthrie Theater

The documusical Come From Away, about the ordinary people of Gander, Newfoundland who showed us the best of humanity when they took in 7000 people diverted to their airport when the US airspace was closed on 9/11, opened on Broadway in 2017 and ran for five years (give or take a pandemic), and then continuously toured up until last year. Then it was released for regional productions, and it immediately became the most produced play in America. It's a story America needs, it's a story America is hungry for. I was fortunate to attend the meet and greet of the cast, crew, and design team at the Guthrie Theater where director Kent Gash talked about his vision for the show (which you can also read about in the program). He said that while Come From Away is about 9/11, it's about so much more than 9/11, it's about our shared humanity, and the power of storytelling to remind us of that. This production succeeds in that, in a big way. I've seen the Broadway/touring production five times, and can almost picture every scene in my mind. It's a thrill to see a fresh new take on the story with new direction, costumes, and staging, that is familiar to the original but with enough tweaks to make it a unique retelling of this story. Come From Away is a brilliantly written piece of music-theater, one that probably stands up to the many different iterations happening all over the country. But this version, at our own Guthrie Theater, lives up to the material and succeeds on so many levels. It's very funny, and thoroughly engaging, and utterly heart-wrenching. If you need your faith in humanity restored, go see Come From Away at the Guthrie Theater this summer.

Broadway tour of "Come From Away" at the Ordway Center

Every time I see the 2017 Tony-nominated* musical Come From Away, I love it even more. I saw it for the 5th time last night, and its themes affected me even more deeply now in this time we're living in. A time when the ideals that many of us hold dear - compassion, empathy, kindness, equality, justice - are being attacked, ideals that are so beautifully expressed in this one-of-a-kind musical. As I wrote when the tour came through the Ordway last summer, Come From Away is "the perfect marriage of music, text, and performance, brilliantly constructed into 100 solid minutes of constant storytelling, flowing from music to dialogue and back again, with only two applause breaks to break the spell. And the story it tells is remarkable: the heart-warming true story of how the people of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed 7000 strangers when their planes were diverted there on 9/11. Canadian married couple Irene Sankoff and David Hein (and producer Michael Rubinoff) have woven the true stories from dozens of people who were there, gathered at the 10th anniversary in Gander. Now, past the 20th anniversary of the unfathomably horrific events of that day, and the extraordinary actions of ordinary humans in its wake, this musical continues to be necessary. It reminds us that despite what we see on the news every day, the human capacity for good knows no bounds, if only we could remember that we all have the same wants and needs, and helping each other is the only way through." These words that I wrote nine eventful months ago strike an even deeper chord now. If you need to be reminded of the good in humanity, do not miss Come From Away, which is only here through Saturday! Keep reading for my review of last year's tour, with a few updates.

"Come from Away" Broadway Tour at the Ordway Center

I truly believe that Come From Away may be one of the best musicals ever written. It's the perfect marriage of music, text, and performance, brilliantly constructed into 100 solid minutes of constant storytelling, flowing from music to dialogue and back again, with only two applause breaks to break the spell. And the story it tells is remarkable: the heart-warming true story of how the people of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed 7000 strangers when their planes were diverted there on 9/11. Canadian married couple Irene Sankoff and David Hein (and producer Michael Rubinoff) have woven the true stories from dozens of people who were there, gathered at the 10th anniversary in Gander. Now, past the 20th anniversary of the unfathomably horrific events of that day, and the extraordinary actions of ordinary humans in its wake, this musical continues to be necessary. It reminds us that despite what we see on the news every day, the human capacity for good knows no bounds, if only we could remember that we all have the same wants and needs, and helping each other is the only way through. The first time I saw this musical on Broadway in 2017 I had tears streaming down my face for the entire 100 minutes, not because of the tragedies of that day, but because of the inspirational and beautiful stories of, as Mr. Rogers says, the helpers. My fourth time seeing Come From Away* and I only needed one tissue, but I can never see this musical enough times. The world needs it, so I hope it continues to tour, and maybe one day be available for regional productions across the world, celebrating the best of humanity. This time it's in town for two weeks, so head to the Ordway soon!

Broadway Tour of "Come From Away" at the Orpheum Theatre

The new year has started out a little rocky, with several local shows being cancelled or postponed. I still have a few shows on my schedule, but up until the moment the curtain goes up I'm not sure they're actually going to happen. The Broadway tour of Come From Away is still on (for the moment) and playing at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. I cannot think of a better show to begin my 2022 year of theater. It's the heart-warming true story of how the people of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed 7000 strangers when their planes were diverted there on 9/11, smartly and succinctly told in a 100-minute musical that flows from story to song with minimal applause breaks, with a fantastic score infused with Celtic rhythms and instrumentation. What I love most is that someone heard about this inspiring 9/11 story and thought - let's write a musical about it! And then they did it in a way that's not treacly, or overproduced, or any other of the many ways it could have gone wrong. They did it in a true and heartfelt way that tells the story in the best possible way. "They" are Canadian married couple Irene Sankoff and David Hein (and producer Michael Rubinoff), and their creation has traveled around the world, inspiring many, and reminding us of the good in humanity, and the incredible things that all of us ordinary people can do when we put aside our differences and connect with our fellow humans.

NYC 2017 Trip: "Come From Away" at the Schoenfeld Theatre

Show*: 4

Title: Come From Away

Location: Schoenfeld Theatre

Written By: Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Summary: An incredibly moving new musical telling the untold stories and singing the unsung heroes of 9/11 in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes carrying 7000 people (and a few animals) were diverted.