I have a new favorite musical!!!
Finally saw the last of the Tony Awards Best Musical nominees tonight. What an incredible show! What an engaged audience! A large Newfoundland flag flew high over the mezzanine at the end of the show. Must be a lot of Canadians in attendance today.
Definitely my pick for best musical this year. Quite possibly, the show might even have edged out “Hamilton” to become my all-time favorite.
“Come From Away” is set in Newfoundland, an island on the eastern tip of Canada, in the days following the 9/11 attack. It’s about the 38 flights and 7000 passengers who were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland when the US airspace was shut down. It’s about the 9000 townspeople who took in the “plane people” even though it’s a huge resource and logistic challenge, and welcomed everyone regardless of their nationality, religion, and sexual orientation.
Among the stories: American Airlines’ first ever female captain (“Me and the Sky”). Passengers who met there and then, and later married each other (“Stop the World”). A gay couple who were initially afraid, only to learn how open the Canadians are. A mother who lost her firefighter son. And so on.
Over the past 15 years, the “plane people” eventually put together $2 million in scholarship for the town’s high school students, for the kindness and generosity shown to them at a time of need.
It’s a musical that will melt your heart. A musical that celebrates human kindness in the midst of a disaster. A musical about a heavy topic but delivered with so much humanity, so much humility, so much genuine care that you can’t help but laugh along with the characters, as they try to address the surreal events unfolding in front of their eyes.
Most importantly, Come From Away will make you believe in people, in humanity again. ❤️