- intouch Magazine
Come From Away | A Story of Hope and Humanity
GLOBAL HIT MUSICAL COME FROM AWAY IS ON ITS WAY TO NEWCASTLE. PRODUCERS RODNEY RIGBY AND JUNKYARD DOG PRODUCTIONS ARE BRINGING THE WORLDWIDE SMASH HIT, TONY AND OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL TO THE CIVIC THEATRE FROM FEBRUARY 18 2023.
Producer Rodney Rigby says Come From Away has been bringing audiences to their feet in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast since its opening in Australia in July 2019.
“Come From Away is Broadway’s 49th longest-running musical in history, and we’re delighted to bring this special production to Newcastle next year.”
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes experienced Come From Away at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre last month and was thrilled to announce the award-winning musical would be making its way to Newcastle.
“This is a spectacular Broadway theatre production and a major coup secured by City of Newcastle that is sure to enhance the cultural life of our city for Novocastrians and visitors this summer,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Major events are a clear economic driver, and Come From Away will be a significant drawcard for our city that will provide considerable benefits for Newcastle’s visitor economy.”
Based on the incredible real-life events in the wake of 9/11, Come From Away is an inspiring musical about unity and kindness in adversity. Set in Gander, Newfoundland (an island off the far north-east coast of Canada), where 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 people from over 100 countries were redirected during the traumatic event, almost doubling the population of the remote Canadian town, it captures the generosity and hospitality of the small community, who invited the “come from aways”, (a local term for anyone not born on the island), into their homes. It is an uplifting story of hope and humanity.
Award-winning writers and husband and wife duo David Hein and Irene Sankoff travelled to Newfoundland and interviewed thousands of locals, turning their stories into an inspiring musical to share with the world.
When 9/11 hit, the two writers were living in New York City (NYC) in a residence for international graduate students.
“It was a phenomenal time,” said David.
“We had a cousin who worked in the towers and thankfully escaped, but everyone was affected by the events. There were about 700 grad students in our residence from about 110 different countries, and everyone came together, helping each other out. Neighbours knocking on doors, people sharing food and really looking after one another. It had a profound effect on us.”
The couple met on their first day of university. David has a degree in Theatre, Set Design and Lighting, and Irene has a degree in Creative Writing and Psychology. Irene grew up with a love of musical theatre, and David was passionate about folk and rock music. Their first show together was My Mother’s Lesbian, Jewish, Wiccan Wedding – a true story, about David’s mother, the pair created as a show for the Fringe Festival in 2009 in order to spend more time together in Toronto, Canada. It was a hit and got picked up by one of Canada’s big producers.
When the couple heard about what had happened in Gander, Newfoundland, it resonated with them and their experiences with the international community of their grad school in NYC.
“When we heard about what had happened in Gander, it felt like our story. We’d already experienced our connection between international citizens in the face of tragedy, and we could feel the potential. We applied for a grant that enabled us to spend a month in Newfoundland, during the 10th anniversary of the events, recording the stories from the people who lived it.”
It is important for people to understand that this is not a story about the tragedy that was 9/11 so much as it is a story about hope and humanity. There were 9,000 people living in Gander when 7,000 people from all parts of the world descended on the remote little town completely unexpectedly after their planes were rerouted.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the decision to shut down its airspace when 9/11 happened, forcing over 4,000 planes to land at the nearest airport. Inbound flights from Europe were diverted to Canada. A total of 38 aircraft were diverted to Gander with the passengers then temporarily relocated to the small town and its surrounding areas. They were welcomed into the homes and hearts of the locals for five days. Come From Away is the story of these people, both the locals and the ‘come from aways’, and how they touched each other’s hearts and changed each other forever.
"Audiences will definitely cry at this show, but they'll be tears of laughter. It's fast, fun and theatrically delightful."
“The people of Gander and Newfoundland are extraordinary. It’s a strange place where people kiss fish, drink weird alcohol and leave their homes unlocked. They made us completely welcome. During our one-month visit, they would leave us the keys to their homes, lend us their cars, walk away and tell us – ‘just feed the cats.’ They are natural-born storytellers, and they are all musicians. The folk music of Newfoundland is a special passion of mine, and it’s in the DNA of everyone who lives there.
“Newfoundland is a cold, giant rock in the middle of the ocean, and they survive through kindness and music. They hold kitchen parties where everyone hangs out in the kitchen to keep warm, telling stories and playing music. We hope that Come From Away is like a Newfoundland kitchen party bought to the stage and shared with the world.”
“We tried to tell the stories of everyone who was there – that’s 16,000 stories! Our first draft was hundreds of pages long. We developed the piece through readings and workshops throughout Canada and North America, constantly tweaking and talking with the real people behind the stories. Every character on stage is inspired by several people we interviewed.
Unlike many other stage shows, the stories are not just about the people who come to the new environment and how they are changed. It is also about how the locals are changed by the experience too. It’s not an us and them story – it’s about all of us.”
Nowhere is this more true than in the music featured in the show. With so many nationalities represented, the music becomes a metaphor for community. It’s infectious, hummable and forms the life and heart of the production, with 90 per cent of the show to music that represents the musical influences of the whole world, but with a core of Newfoundland folk music.
The Musical Director of the Australian production is Michael Tyack AM. Michael has been involved with major musicals, including Cats, Phantom of The Opera, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and many others. He has worked as Musical Director on shows including The Boy From Oz (original production and the arena tour), The Witches of Eastwick (Green Room award winner), Mary Poppins (Green Room and Helpmann award), and too many others to mention. In 2020, Michael was honoured as a Member of The Order of Australia (AM) for services to the Performing Arts.
“The music in Come From Away keeps the pace driving forward,” says Michael.
“We have a band of eight on the stage with the drums out the back because his set-up is too big to be on stage. There is a strong purpose to every song, a lot of detail in the singing and more dynamics than usual. It’s the most integrated show I think I’ve ever seen. The dodhran (the Irish drum) forms the heartbeat of the show, and there are instruments at play that we are not used to seeing in the orchestra pit – fiddles, whistles, uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), mandolins, and I’ve had to learn how to play the button accordion. And we can’t forget the ugly stick, a traditional Newfoundland instrument made from a mop screwed into a boot with bottle caps attached – very similar to the Australian lagerphone.”
“I’m looking forward to bringing the show to Newcastle. I think this is a show that the people of Newcastle will relate to, as a town that has been impacted by issues that bring people together, like the earthquake and the closing of the steelworks. In addition, Newcastle has great facilities, and hopefully, if we are successful here, it will encourage other big productions to include it on the circuit.”
Actress Zoe Gertz who plays Beverley Bass and Others in the show agrees with Michael.
“I’ve got lots of friends in Newcastle, and I’m really looking forward to doing the show there. Hopefully, it will inspire others to bring full-scale musical productions to Newcastle and be a positive outcome for the local arts scene,” said Zoe.
As a member of the original Australian company of Come From Away, Zoe’s performance has seen her nominated for “Best Performance in a Lead Role” at the Sydney Theatre Awards and the Green Room Awards. A graduate of WAAPA (B.A. Music Theatre), her theatre credits include Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me, Enid Hoopes in Legally Blonde the Musical, the original Australian & Singapore company of Wicked, the Witch in Into the Woods, Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Kiss Me Kate, The Pajama Game, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Camelot, Georgy Girl, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Big River, as well as co-writing and performing in cabaret shows in Sydney and Perth. Zoe loves the part she plays in the show.
“Beverley just so happened to be the first-ever female captain for American Airlines and one of the pilots that had to reroute to Gander. She still flies today, and she’s an inspirational leader and powerful human being. The fact that she’s still alive and I get to portray her is such a privilege. There aren’t a lot of strong female empowerment roles in musical theatre, so I love my role,” said Zoe.
“The whole show moves people so profoundly. When the applause hits, it’s like a wall of sound that hits you on the stage. I’ve never known anything like it. It’s magical. Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11, and it affects people on a really personal level.”
When the musical premiered in Melbourne in July 2019, it began a love affair and took the city by storm. Enjoying months of standing ovations and universal acclaim, it went on to break box office records to become the most successful production in the Comedy Theatre’s 94-year history.
The outstanding ensemble includes Kyle Brown, Zoe Gertz, Manon Gunderson-Briggs, Douglas Hansell, Kat Harrison, Joe Kosky, Phillip Lowe, Joseph Naim, Sarah Nairne, Natalie O’Donnell, Emma Powell, David Silvestri, together with Kaya Byrne, Jeremy Carver-James, Noni McCallum, Michael Lee Porter, Alana Tranter and Jasmine Vaughns.
With book, music and lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, Come From Away is directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, choreographed by Olivier Award winner Kelly Devine (Rock of Ages, Diana), with music supervision by Ian Eisendrath (A Christmas Story, Diana), scenic design by Beowulf Boritt (Rock of Ages, Be More Chill), costume design by Toni-Leslie James (Jelly’s Last Jam), lighting design by Howell Binkley (Jersey Boys, Hamilton), and sound design by Gareth Owen (Diana, A Bronx Tale).
Come From Away won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (Christopher Ashley) and four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer (Kelly Devine), Best Sound Design (Gareth Owen) and Outstanding Achievement in Music. Since its Australian premiere in 2019, the production has added five Green Room awards, including Best Production and Best Ensemble, to its award tally, along with being voted Ticketmaster’s
‘Ticket of the Year’ by Australian audiences.
Co-author David Hein believes that the show does particularly well in Australia because we are so similar to Canadians.
“There were Australians trapped in Gander, and one of the flight attendants was an Australian. Australians and Canadians don’t just have the British royal family in common; we’ve also got a similar sense of humour. I think we deal with tragedy by being kind to each other and telling jokes. Audiences will definitely cry at this show, but they’ll be tears of laughter. It’s fast, fun and theatrically delightful.”
Tickets for the Newcastle season at Civic Theatre are on sale now.
