One of Broadway’s longest-running productions will end a five-year run with its final performance in October 2022. Come From Away, a musical that tells the true story of thousands of airline passengers stranded in a small rural Canadian town following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the efforts to which residents of the town went to make those guests feel welcome, will play its last performance on October 2 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. This will be the 1,670th performance of the show, assuming all scheduled performances go on as planned.
Come From Away’s Creation and Development
Come From Away debuted on Broadway in 2017, but the idea for the musical was conceived in 2009 by Michael Rubinoff, who approached writers and composers Irene Sankoff and David Hein with a suggestion to depict the unique and inspiring story on stage. Two years later, Sankoff and Hein traveled to the small town of Gander in the Canadian province of Newfoundland to observe the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and meet with locals and those who were stranded in the Newfoundland town (also known locally as “come from aways”).
Sankoff and Hein developed the material over the next year or so, with the first production shown as part of Sheridan College’s Canadian Musical Theatre Project in 2012. It was later shown at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Annual Festival of New Musicals in New York City. Come From Away broke box office records during showings at La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre and played at other select venues before its official Broadway opening in March 2017.
The Incredible True Story Behind the Musical
The events in the musical showcase the compassion and generosity of Newfoundlanders while highlighting the best of humanity in times of fear and distress. Thirty-eight of the 255 planes diverted to towns throughout Canada on September 11, 2001, were directed to Gander, a town of fewer than 10,000 people. More than 7,000 people arrived in the town from those planes, nearly doubling Gander’s population for four days and overextending its resources.
Despite this, Gander residents opened their homes up to complete strangers and went out of their way to make the stranded passengers feel welcome in their small town. One of the central characters in the musical, Bonnie, is based on the head of the Gander area SPCA who rescued more than 20 pets from the cargo holds of the planes and established a makeshift veterinary space in an empty aircraft hangar.
The award-winning documentary film You Are Here: A Come From Away Story tells the story in greater depth.
Top 50 Longest Running Broadway Shows
Given that The Phantom of the Opera (1988), Chicago (1996), and The Lion King (1997) are all still currently running on Broadway, it’s going to be a while before any other production cracks the top-three of the longest-running Broadway shows. However, by the end of its run, Come From Away will be among the 50 longest-running shows at No. 49. It ranked No. 60 as of June 9, but will surpass productions such as Jekyll & Hyde, Waitress, Evita, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Longest Tenant at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
In addition to its top-50 Broadway status for longest-running productions, Come From Away will end its run with the distinction of being the longest and most notable tenant at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Situated on West 45th Street in Manhattan, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre opened in 1917 as the Plymouth Theatre and has since hosted notable productions such as As You Like It (1919), Pride and Prejudice (1935), Jekyll & Hyde (1997), and Glengarry Glen Ross (2012).
Come From Away also holds the weekly box office record for the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The production grossed $1.83 million through nine performances for the week ending December 31, 2017.
7 Tony Nominations and 4 Olivier Awards
Come From Away wasn’t just a box office success. The critically acclaimed musical earned seven Tony nominations, with one victory, and won four Olivier Awards. Director Christopher Ashley won the Tony for Best Director of a Musical, while the play was nominated for Best Musical. It won the Olivier Awards for Best Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer (Kelly Devine), Outstanding Achievement in Music – Book, Music and Lyrics (Sankoff and Hein), and Best Sound Design (Gareth Owen).
The live film version of the musical, shot during the COVID-19 shutdown and available on Apple TV+, was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award.
Touring Dates
Although it is ending its run on Broadway, Come From Away can still be seen at other locations in the coming years. It is currently touring in Australia and North America and is also a mainstay in London’s West End. It will be shown at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and return to Toronto in 2024.