“Come From Away” Brings Light to the Darkness of 9/11

On Sept. 11, 2001, the American air space was shut down for the first time in history. All international flights entering the United States were diverted to Canada.

The town of Gander, Newfoundland instantly doubled in population when 38 planes, carrying roughly 6,700 people, were forced to land at the Gander Airport.

On March 14, 2017, “Come From Away”, a musical about the Ganderites and the 6,700 passengers, dubbed “plane people”, opened on Broadway and memorialized their story forever.

Okay, before you turn away because of the words “musical” and “Broadway”, let me tell you, this is not your mom’s CD of Cats.

“Come From Away” is fresh, folksy, and heartwarming. And, somehow, it manages to make 9/11 seem a little less grim.

It shows the triumph of the human spirit. It shows good people.

And it shows the truth.

Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the writing duo behind the book and music for the show, layer stories over each other to create a bittersweet view of a moment in history. Their lyrics effortlessly shift from chaos to fear to excitement to hope as each character reacts to the 9/11 world.

Tony Award Winning Director Christopher Ashley masterfully brings their vision to life as he creates planes and restaurants from chairs and tables, and builds 12,000 people from a 12-person cast. The stripped down nature of the stage and the small size of the cast pulls the raw emotion of the characters out into the forefront.

Whether you’re watching characters fall in love, form close bonds over shared fears, or lament over what once was, you’re watching their worlds change drastically. “Come From Away” offers a bold look into the human condition when put under the microscope of tragedy.

So, if you have an hour of free time today, put on your headphones, pull up Spotify, and listen to the soundtrack. It will remind you that, in a world that’s so easily divided, we all have one thing in common: “we all come from away”.