Come From Away

[+ Cash4Trash]

I saw Come From Away yesterday and it looks to me like another big hit is on the way. Believe it opens 3/12.

It's the story of the people of Gander, Newfoundland who found themselves with 38 planes of stranded passengers on September 11. It's a musical and I believe will be a hard ticket after it opens. It's the feel good about humanity story we all need right now.

[Cooper]

Saw this new musical at the Schoenfeld Theatre. It's a 100 minute play with no intermission. It deals with the tragic events surrounding 9-11 and how 38 planes were diverted to a small airport in Gander, Newfoundland. It's a true story that deals with the passengers, some 7,000, who were stranded in Gander for 5 days and the folks who took care of them. As the planes begin to arrive there is a lot of confusion as to the steps needed to house and care for so many stranded passengers. Some remained on the planes for 28 hours with no knowledge of what was happening.

 

As the story unfolds, it focus on the lives of 12 passengers who cover all walks of life and how they handled these difficult days. The people of the small town of Gander graciously and generously team up to care for them. They provide meals, clothing, housing, phones, support, and entertainment.

 

The cast of 12 play multiple roles and do an excellent job in portraying the lives of so many. It's fast paced and makes a wonderful connection with the audience. It covers the horrific events of 9-11 in a most respectful way. Wonderful job done by the orchestra, some perform on stage with the cast. In an attempt not to leave you emotional, the band takes to the stage during the curtain call and plays upbeat traditional music from Gander.

 

http://comefromaway.com/?gclid=CIOj3d2C_tICFQiBswodCRcOVw

[Cooper]

Currently, "Come From Away", is not a difficult ticket to get.

 

It's available at TKTS & on TDF.

 

The performance I saw was sold out.

[foxy]

I second this recommendation. A wonderful show. On what was probably the worst day in American history the citizens of Gander proved there is still hope and goodness in people.

[Cooper]

Interesting fact I learned from the play. To show appreciation to the people of Gander, the US sent them a piece of the steel from the World Trade Center. Gander is the only place outside of the US that holds a piece of the WTC.

[mike carey]

Come from Away opens in Melbourne in this winter (in July). This story was in the Good Weekend magazine in The Age and the SMH. Some of it recounts aspects of the video posted in the other thread, but I thought it was worth posting.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/the-tiny-town-behind-a-heartwarming-9-11-tale-20190326-p517pe.html

[mike carey]

Beverley Bass was the first woman to be a captain on American Airlines. She was a check captain on an American B777 flying CDG-DFW on 11 Sep 01 and hers was one of the aircraft diverted into Gander. In Gander for the 10th anniversary she was interviewed by the playwrights and later invited to the premier of Come from Away. She was stunned to discover at the performance that she was of the characters portrayed in the musical.

 

This is an interview with her aired this morning on her life in aviation, that day and that musical. She will be in Melbourne for the opening in July.

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/beverley-bass/11060672

[mike carey]

No apologies for reviving this thread! On Monday night this interview aired here, with a now retired school teacher who was in the thick of all this at Gander. It provides a view from a local on the events (my previous post two years ago was with an AA B777 captain who was one of the visitors). Diane Davis is also one of the people portrayed in the musical.

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/diane-davis-on-the-38-planes-that-landed-in-gander-on-9-11/13539022

One poignant anecdote she tells is of overhearing a traveller calling home and talking about the gâteaux de grand-mère that people in Gander had fed them, and their surprise that people still had those recipes.

[jeezifonly]

I missed this show when it toured the first time - another tour company resuming soon I hear. It was captured in HD on the Broadway set during lockdown with the original cast and a limited audience, and I caught it on either HBOMax or Netflix. A wonderful balm to follow the maudlin 20th Anniversary of 9/11 - I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Alpha714]

It's actually on Apple TV

[Islesguy]

Until I went to see it for my birthday while in London, I had no idea what the plot was. No ad I ever saw said anything about it. Just variations on how it was a beloved show around the world.

My birthday is about two weeks before 9/11 and being a born and raised NYer, the show brought up a lot of different emotions. I was in Florida at college at the time it happened and had tickets to fly home the Friday after 9/11 which was the first day the FAA allowed flights to resume, so the plot about people being stranded hit home for me. I felt that way not being in NY and hoping I would be able to fly home on my already booked tickets.  I did enjoy it a lot but I'm not sure if it was a good "birthday" show. My companion picked the show (I asked him to plan the day without telling me what we were doing).