The Cast and Crew of Apple’s 'Come From Away' Reflect on 9/11, Art and Humanity
On the 20th Anniversary of the world-changing events of 9/11, the Canadian born ‘Come From Away’ focuses on a small ‘rock’ on the East Coast of Canada, and with it, fraternity and compassion.
If one does not truly believe in a predetermined path in life unravelling one small strange event at a time, then look no further than the creation of ‘Come From Away’, Broadway’s longest running Canadian-born musical. It took a young man from the prairies of Saskatchewan and a young woman from the suburbs of Toronto to attend a fine Arts school in North York, to meet. Those two then moved to New York to find their calling. Instead, they found a sense of community when the city, and the country they embraced as their new home was attacked on 9/11.
David Hein and Irene Sankoff, the writers and composers of Come From Away, seemingly felt a connection not only to America, but gained that global sense of connection we all felt 20 years ago. Yet a piece of them never forgot home. A different part of home, but home none-the-less.
Come From Away, available on Apple+ the filmed version of the award-winning Broadway musical which tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the “come from aways” into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what’s happened while finding love, laughter and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge.
The live performance of Come From Away was filmed at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City, where the Broadway production is staged, in front of an audience that included 9/11 survivors and frontline workers. The Cast and Crew of this production sat down with FilmSpeak Managing Editor, Michael Winn Johnson to discuss the impact of those events two decades ago, the impact of art in times of darkness, and the impact of this joyful stage production.
Emily Walton (Janice) remembers being a young New Yorker and what this show means to an audience that may not remember the tragedy. “I was a freshman in high school, I went to LaGuardia. And, you know, I think one of the most fascinating things about being a part of the show has actually been meeting young people who weren't, who weren't born until after 9/11. And hearing their experience of the show, and you know, them cobbling together bits of information that their parents have shared with them that they've learned about in school that the show shares with them. You know, [on] the first day of rehearsal for the tour, we all went around the room and shared our 911 experience. But I think, to give audiences that will be watching it on Apple TV, plus the opportunity to remember where they were, what they felt, how they approached that day, and the days following… It's pretty profound.”
Hein addresses the fact that this story perfectly mirrors the sense of global camaraderie that occurred after the terrorist attacks, and how he and Sankoff, and their journey gave them a great perspective they could use when creating the musical. “I think it's a real marriage, you know, and such a weird, weirdly Canadian mix. I grew up in the prairies, but was obsessed with Newfoundland music. When Irene and I started dating, I would share Great Big Sea with her, and she would share Broadway musicals with me, and somehow we sort of met in the middle and comfort away has been the perfect, you know, perfect job for us to work on.”
Colella as Beverley (center)
Come From Away is such an intensely vibrant and lively story that will undoubtedly teach audiences a part of the story that otherwise would have slipped away as small town news. There is so much beauty in this musical, and if anything, it is fantastic to see how Canada’s East Coast, known for its hospitality and humor will get a global audience. More Americans and abroad can learn about this charming nugget of small-town news, but can learn a lot about Canadians as a whole, as Tony-Award nominated Jenn Colella (Beverley/Annette and others) can attest: “I've learned that Canadians are awesome. I've learned that Canadians have a deep sense of community from the moment that they are born. So I've learned that Canadians are extraordinary people, and I'm thrilled to now have such a deep tie to Canada.”
The filmed production gave an opportunity to Director, Christopher Ashley to really draw in audiences even more than his Tony-award winning effort on the stage. “We really can nestle the camera right into [a] close up with these characters. And there was aspects of what the actors have been doing that I've only seen from 10 or 20 rows away, that I had new appreciation for in the editing room”. Audience who may not appreciate filmed productions of stage plays will certainly enjoy themselves with Apple TV’s version. It beautifully captures the aforementioned vibrance and energy of witnessing the musical first hand, but Ashley (and Director of Photography, Tobias Schliessler) truly capture the infectious boost being only feet away from the stage can give audiences. Tony LePage (Kevin T. and others) never tires of that infectious energy, and describes how invigorating it can be, especially for an actor who grew up in New Brunswick. “As soon as the bar on drum hits at the start of the show, there's something inside of it, it becomes the heartbeat. You can be tired. You could be your seventh show the week. And all of a sudden that kicks in.” And for me, being from East Coast … It's thrilling. It's thrilling every single time.”
“Right now, it feels important to tell stories about overcoming differences and coming together as an international community. And I think Canada has been a leader in that in many ways”
Canadians can certainly rejoice in this production, as Sankoff mentions when Canadian audiences have seen the show and “just laugh when they see themselves on stage”. She adds that through Come From Away, Canadians can “see their way of life portrayed because we don't get to see that enough”. But when she and Hein created this show, it’s not lost on the couple how much of an impact these events, and not this musical can have on the world, and how much anyone can enjoy it, regardless of cultural background or geographical location. Hein adds how they are certainly “proud of this story” as a Canadian. “We're proud that in response to 9/11, we took [in] planes and the Newfoundlanders brought [these people in], but also, people in BC, people in Labrador, people in Halifax, people across the country, welcomed strangers at [that] time. And I think that there's something important about having faith that we have more in common with people, and having that faith overcome the fear of ‘maybe we'll be too dissimilar’. Right now, it feels important to tell stories about overcoming differences and coming together as an international community. And I think Canada has been a leader in that in many ways. I think I hope there will be many more Canadian musicals on Broadway and around the world.”
Check out the collection of full interviews with the cast & crew, below:
‘Come from Away’ PREMIEREs Friday, September 10, 2021 on Apple TV+
CREDITS
CAST:
Petrina Bromley as Bonnie and others
Jenn Colella as Beverley/Annette and others
De’Lon Grant as Bob and others
Joel Hatch as Claude and others
Tony LePage as Kevin T. and others
Caesar Samayoa as Kevin J./Ali and others
Q. Smith as Hannah and others
Astrid Van Wieren as Beulah and others
Emily Walton as Janice and others
Jim Walton as Nick/Doug and others
Sharon Wheatley as Diane and others
Paul Whitty as Oz and others
DIRECTOR:
Christopher Ashley
WRITERS (BOOK/MUSIC/LYRICS):
Irene Sankoff & David Hein