"Required Viewing for the World:" My Come From Away Story
- The Verdict
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Having seen Come From Away 10 times in various places around the world and just named it my all-time favorite show, I have become a bit of a self-proclaimed expert on it. However, you may have noticed that I’ve never reviewed any of the productions I’ve seen on this site. Most of that can be attributed to the fact that I saw them, and they closed before The Verdict existed. Still, in general, I’ve always felt that I wouldn’t be fair to them, especially new, non-replica, regional productions. That’s not entirely to say that I’d pick them apart and constantly compare them to the original, but more to say that because this is a show I know and love as much as I do, I just couldn’t bring myself to analyze the show that really catapulted my love of musical theatre. But, as I get ready to see the production at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey next month, I thought I’d take a moment to run through the productions I’ve seen, and by the end, hopefully you’ll understand just how much I love Come From Away.
I first saw the original Broadway production in June of 2022—after it had reopened following the pandemic. Up to that point, I had only seen two shows (Matilda and The Lion King), and I had no recollection of them, so I consider this my first real foray into Broadway. By this time, I had seen the proshot on Apple TV and knew what to expect, but seeing it live blew my mind. I vividly remember Gene Weygandt (Claude) delivering the first lines of the show and being awestruck. That, of course, continued for the rest of the show, and I left the theatre in tears. As we were walking back through Times Square, my mom, who had come with me, asked me why I was crying, and I couldn’t answer. Later, after I’d had some time to think about it, I realized that I was just so shocked by the kindness of these Newfoundlanders, who did not have to do what they did but chose to open their hearts and homes because it was right. Another core memory of that show was Becky Gulsvig’s “Me and the Sky.” That later led me to go see her in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, on a day she was on as Marcia, and needless to say, she brought the house down.
After that life-changing day, I could not stop thinking or talking about the show, and when Jenn Colella announced her mid-July return, my mom and I went again in hopes of catching her. Turns out she wasn’t on that day, and instead we were treated to an equally brilliant performance by Julie Rieber, our Beverly Bass that day. Once again, I was floored by the brilliance of the show, and I vividly remember watching the back wall glow orange at one point during the finale and thinking to myself, “Didn’t it just start? How is it over already?” Once again, I left the Schoenfeld in tears, but this time also because I believed it would be the last time I would see it. Little did I know…
October 2, 2022. A day I will remember forever. Come From Away’s final Broadway performance. This is when the show truly became a family affair, because after hearing my mom and me rave as adoringly as we did, my grandma watched the proshot and became just as obsessed, if not more. She and I went to see the final performance at the Schoenfeld, and it is still one of the most incredible days of my life. The writers, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, were in attendance, along with former cast members, and many of the real people who inspired the show. Wandering in the lobby before the performance started was insane. I remember going down to the lounge to use the bathroom and almost running head-on into the real Captain Beverley Bass. I turned around, and there was Derm Flynn, the former mayor of Appleton. The previous night at dinner, I had met Diane Davis, half of the in-show character Beulah Davis. Everyone was so kind and just wanted to talk to everyone, but unfortunately, there was a show to watch, marking the end of an era. From seat H23 in the back corner of the mezzanine, I cried almost nonstop. The energy was unlike anything I’d ever felt: applause where there’s no space (we lost all of the lines after “Me and the Sky” under uproarious cheers for Jenn Colella, who I finally saw live), lines hitting harder than usual, and when the final beat hit and the lights went out, the audience kept to their feet, applauding the show that means so much to them. Speeches ensued, and many tears and hugs were shared as the cast, crew, and everyone else left the stage one final time. It truly was the end of an era, and at that moment, I had no idea if I’d ever see my favorite show again.
Fast forward… July 22, 2023. Gander, Newfoundland. It’s opening night, and Come From Away has come home to the town where it happened. The Arts and Culture Center is packed with a mix of locals and come from aways, all here to see one of the first non-replica productions in the world. Earlier that day in town, I’d seen the sights: the town hall, Gander Academy, and the airport, where I ran into Diane Davis, who remembered my grandma and me from New York almost a year earlier. It was incredible to see the places where this story took place. Humble buildings, now marked with a sign, but still holding the rural Newfoundland charm. The show itself was fantastic. The cast of Canadian talent (including Canadian-born Astrid Van Wieren and Petrina Bromley from the Broadway cast) performed the show beautifully, and it was evident that they took great pride in this story through their embodiment of the characters. In four performances, Petrina was the fourth actress I’d seen play Captain Bass, and once I got over the show of seeing her (and Astrid, who was playing Diane) in different roles, I absolutely loved her take on the character. I also liked the expansion of the cast. Some roles were split into two; for example, the Kevin T/Garth track was divided into two characters, as were Beverly and Annette, and a few others. This allowed for more performers to tell this story, and it was done very well.
I saw it again the following night, and having already seen it, I was able to watch for the little bits and pieces I had missed—namely, the back wall, which featured little shelves and knitted squares used during the performance. I also loved the use of suitcases, which served as substitutes for the chairs in the original staging. I enjoyed the production's uniqueness and would love to see it staged again, maybe a little closer to home!
I was so lucky to catch the second national tour not too many months later when it came to a theatre near me. In November of 2023, I drove up to New Haven, Connecticut, and saw the original staging for the first time in just over two years. The cast was phenomenal, and it was really wonderful to see the original production once again.
Then, I didn’t see it for another 17 months. Fast forward to April of 2025, and the national tour was down to its final few stops. Luckily, I was able to see it one final time in Waterbury, CT. Most of the cast has switched over since I saw it in New Haven, and I loved the performers who had joined. There’s a common theme… every performer I have seen do this show is incredibly talented and gives it their all. This was extra bittersweet, though, because I realized halfway through that it was probably the last time I would ever see the original staging live. However, it was a fantastic send-off, and the end of the tour made me excited to see what regional theatres would do!
September 11, 2025, Stamford, CT. Where else would I be except at Curtain Call’s first performance of Come From Away? This was the first regional non-replica production I had seen since the rights were released to certain amateur and professional producing theatres around the United States, and I was excited. The production went with a very near-replica staging, and I appreciated it, as well as the divergences it made, and was glad to see the show in any iteration once more.
But later that month, I was in Nashville, Tennessee, and it just so happened that Come From Away was being produced by the Nashville Repertory Theatre. This. Was. Brilliant. Since Gander, this was the first truly original staging I had seen, and making great use of the enormous space they had, I thought it was a brilliant production. New choreography, new costumes, new blocking: I loved it! The moment that stood out most to me was Nick and Diane’s blocking during “Stop the World,” where director Leah Lowe had them sit on the lip of the stage, their legs hanging over the vacant orchestra pit, creating the feeling of a lookout overlooking a beautiful vista. It was so refreshing to see a brand-new take on the story, and I am so lucky to have caught this production twice.
So, there you have it. 10 performances, 5 productions, and countless invaluable memories later, I am now eagerly anticipating seeing it at Paper Mill next month. I will be reviewing that production in full, so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks! I cannot wait to see more productions of it in the years to come, because if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it is that this show is not going away anytime soon.
To end, I wanted to go back to a memory from immediately after the first time I ever saw Come From Away with my mother. After we left the Schoenfeld, my mom coined my still-favorite description of the show, that, if heard by the marketing team, belonged on the marquee: “This show should be required viewing for the world.” And I could not agree more.
