The eagerly-awaited filmed performance of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Come From Away will be streamed worldwide from 10 September 2021 via Apple TV Plus.
Directed by the show’s Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley, the film features original cast members Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, Joel Hatch, Caesar Samayoa, Q Smith, Astrid Van Wieren and Sharon Wheatley along with De’Lon Grant, Tony Lepage, Emily Walton, Jim Walton and Paul Whitty.
Produced and financed by British Canadian company Entertainment One (eOne), the live filming of the show in May at the hit production’s New York home, the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, provided employment to over 222 people including members of the Broadway cast, crew, staff and creatives. The Alchemy Production Group provided stage production and general management while Radical Media, the company behind the filmed version of Hamilton, filmed the production.
In a statement announcing the project earlier this year, Nick Meyer, eOne’s president (film) said: “Come From Away is a triumphant story about the power of humanity in the face of incredible darkness. Now more than ever, we are eager to be able to create meaningful and uplifting content and are excited to partner with this outstanding creative team to share the story with audiences everywhere.”
Radical Media’s executive producer Dave Sirulnick added: “We are thrilled to be joining this extended Gander community to continue to share Come From Away’s beautiful story of togetherness through a filmed version of the musical, particularly at a time when live theatre is shuttered in much of the world.”
Come From Away’s creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein served as executive producers on the film along with RadicalMedia’s Sirulnick, Jon Kamen and Meredith Bennett. Jennifer Todd and Bill Condon produced the film alongside the original stage producers Junkyard Dog Productions and US film and TV producer Mark Gordon who originally optioned the show after seeing the musical in previews. Brittney Hapner served as co-producer.
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 has been a hit with both audiences and the critics.
Featuring a book, music and lyrics by Sankoff and Hein, the Broadway production of Come From Away won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Ashley while the London production at the Phoenix Theatre collected four Olivier Awards including the Olivier for Best New Musical.
Before Covid-19 hit, productions were playing to packed houses across the world with the Broadway production forced to suspend all performances on 12 March 2020, the eve of the musical’s third anniversary. The London production recently resumed performances at the Phoenix Theatre while the Broadway production is due to reopen on 21 September.
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.
Angela Thomas
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