Quadruple Olivier Award-winning new musical Come From Away will extend its audience and critic-pleasing West End debut into February next year.
Inspired by the remarkable true story of the 7,000 stranded air passengers who found refuge in a small Canadian town in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack, the show that celebrates man’s humanity at a time when the world was horrified by the depths of its inhumanity, landed at London’s Phoenix Theatre in late January following a limited engagement at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
The West End cast of 13 actors taking on both lead and supporting roles includes: Jenna Boyd (Beulah and others); Nathanael Campbell (Bob and others); Clive Carter (Claude and others); Mary Doherty (Bonnie and others); Robert Hands (Nick, Doug and others); Helen Hobson (Diane and others); Jonathan Andrew Hume (Kevin J, Ali and others); Harry Morrison (Oz and others); Emma Salvo (Janice and others); David Shannon (Kevin T, Garth and others); Cat Simmons (Hannah and others); and Rachel Tucker (Beverley, Annette and others). They are joined by Chiara Baronti, Mark Dugdale, Bob Harms, Kirsty Malpass, Tania Mathurin, Alexander McMorran, Brandon Lee Sears and Jennifer Tierney.
Featuring a book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away is directed by Christopher Ashley, with musical staging by Kelly Devine, music supervision and arrangements by Ian Eisendrath, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen and casting by Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher.
A hit with both audiences and the critics, the multi-award-winning musical has celebrated record-breaking runs on Broadway and in Canada and embarked on a 60 city North American tour beginning in Seattle in October 2018. An Australian production has been confirmed for this summer and work has begun on a feature film version.
Describing their work, writers Sankoff and Hein said: “The humour, the music, and the infectious generosity of spirit of the people of Newfoundland inspired us to write this musical. However, along the journey we discovered that this isn’t just a Canadian story – it’s a universal story of how, when faced with global atrocities, the world comes together to respond with kindness and cooperation. We are particularly thrilled to be sharing this story with audiences in the UK and Ireland.”
Come From Away was developed at the Canadian Music Theatre Project, by producer Michael Rubinoff (Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada) and was further developed at Goodspeed Musicals’ Festival of New Artists, in East Haddam, with development support provided by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.
Originally co-produced in 2015 by La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre, Come From Away was presented in 2016 by Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC and Mirvish Productions at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada, all in partnership with Junkyard Dog Productions.
A Best Musical winner all across North America, Come From Away has won multiple awards including this year’s Olivier for Best New Musical, the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for director Ashley, five Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Drama Desk, four Helen Hayes Awards, six San Diego Critics Circle Awards and three Toronto Theatre Critics Awards
Come From Away is produced in the UK and Ireland by Junkyard Dog Productions and Smith & Brant Theatricals. The European premiere of Come From Away was presented in partnership with the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
Angela Thomas
Tickets for Come From Away are available HERE.
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