On Tour: Come From Away in Los Angeles

This week we took a trip to the Rock— here in Los Angeles.

Back in September, I shared the experience of watching the Proshot of Come From Away on Apple TV+, which was the first time I had ever seen the show. Now, with the tour returning to Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to see it live.

This performance was a bit bittersweet. As I arrived at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, it was announced that Come From Away would be closing its Broadway production at the end of October. While the performance I saw was the touring production, I think the sentiment was definitely felt by those in tune with the Broadway community.

Come From Away is a Canadian folk-rock musical based on the unfolding events in Gander, Newfoundland during the week following the September 11 attacks, after 38 planes carrying approximately 7,000 passengers made an emergency landing Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on real townsfolk and stranded travelers and their efforts to find community in the wake of tragedy.

I love this musical from the message it sends to audiences down to its brilliant scenic design. I fell in love with the cast recording the very first time I listened to it, and this show has been on my must-see list for a very long time. I had tried to see it on Broadway, and it just wasn’t in the cards at the time. I am so happy I could catch it in Los Angeles and share this performance with my mom!

Something I really admire about Come From Away is its use of the cast as an ensemble unit. There aren’t really principal and ensemble roles, it’s just 12 people holding the equal weight in telling the story, and each performer gets a moment to shine at various points throughout the show. This allows a lot of movement on stage and a story flow that is continuously moving to bring different parts of the narrative forward.

Julia Knitel (Janice & Others) gives a standout performance, particularly as Janice, Gander’s newest TV news reporter. I enjoyed watching her on stage and how she gives character to each role she flips between. I thought her Janice has just the right amount of nerves and compassion for others in the wake of tragedy it really led the story quite smoothly.

Many times throughout the performance, my eye was drawn to Jeremy Woodard and his portrayal of Kevin T./Garth & Others. Woodard has a very strong stage presence and plays well off his castmates, particularly Kevin Carolan’s Claude. His vocals are very strong and I was naturally very impressed at his numerous featured moments as Kevin T.

At this performance, Jenny Ashman was on for the role of Hannah & Others, and I greatly enjoyed her performance, particularly her tear-jerking performance of “I Am Here.” Ashman is a standout performer, and I am so lucky to have caught a day when she was on. I really enjoyed her performance in particular and the emotion she brings to Hannah.

Marika Aubrey’s (Beverly & Others) “Me and the Sky” was a beautiful standout moment in the show, and always a heartfelt moment for the audience. I only wish the show had the timing to allow the audience to applaud the actress playing Beverly. At the end of the number the show kind of slides right back into storytelling, and there was a bit of a pregnant pause in the audience, waiting to applaud Aubrey for her brilliant vocals. It felt weird to not have the chance to applaud her after such a pointed moment in the show.

I can’t talk about Come From Away without discussing the scenic design of this show. Something that is so crazy about this show is how they maximize the use of a minimalistic set. It is unassuming, but as an audience member, you can still see a fully illustrated story, even though the cast is simply rearranging tables and chairs and a few props. I also love the use of the backdrop as a plane in certain scenes and how they have doors that open and close to look like the underbelly of a plane. The lighting design of this show is also stunning and creates such power on the set. I think there were so many ways they could have achieved the visual of this show and they went the right way with a minimal set design and allowed the audience to imagine they were in a plane, in a bar, etc. It doesn’t feel overdramatic and is a very tasteful representation of the events that occurred.

I think this show is so timely and it’s crazy to see it with the post-pandemic perspective I have now. I discovered this show long before COVID, and even having been alive during the September 11 attacks, the musical has always gotten me right in the heart. It seems to have found a new context in a post-pandemic world, where it feels so odd to watch a show where strangers come together in the wake of a tragedy, after watching all that the U.S. has been through socially and politically over the last two years. The musical is a stark reminder of the ability to have compassion and kindness for strangers, and that message is not lost on audiences, even today.

Come From Away opened in previews on Broadway on February 18, 2017, and officially opened on March 12, 2017, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The book, music and lyrics are by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, direction is by Christopher Ashley, choreography by Kelly Devine, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen, and music direction by Ian Eisendrath. The musical started its North American tour of more than 50 cities in October 2018 at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

Outside the U.S., there have been numerous productions worldwide, including a former mounted production in Toronto.