"Come From Away" - by Irene Sankoff and David Hein - Hanover Theatre (Worcester, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The CAST of the musical "COME FROM AWAY" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. until April 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“You are here at the start of a moment…On the edge of the world where the river meets the sea…”
- ("Welcome to the Rock") / Irene Sankoff and David Hein
The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
Presents the Broadway Megahit
"COME FROM AWAY!"
Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Musical Staging by Kelly Devine
Music Supervisor, Musical Arrangements by Ian Eisendrath
Cast Includes: John Anker Bow as “Nick & Others,” Kathleen Cameron as “Bonnie & Others,” Ryaan Farhadi as “Kevin J. / Ali & Others,” Richard Chaz Gomez as “Kevin T. & Others,” Jordan Hayakawa as “Janice & Others,” Andrew Hendrick as “Claude & Others,” Kaitlyn Jackson as “Beverley & Others,” Kristin Litzenberg as “Beulah & Others,” Tyler Olshansky-Bailon as “Diane & Others,” Erich Schroeder as “Oz & Others,” Hannah-Kathryn Wall as “Hannah & Others,” Andre Williams as “Bob & Others,” Standby: K. Bernice, Jordan Diggory, Brooke Melton, Sierra Naomi, Justin Phillips; Dance Captain, Standby - Nick Berke
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic Designer - Beowulf Boritt; Costume Designer - Toni-Leslie James; Lighting Designer - Howell Binkley; Sound Design - Gareth Owen; Orchestrations - August Eriksmoen; Direction Restager - Daniel Goldstein; Musical Staging Restager - Richard J. Hinds; Casting - The Telsey Office/Rachel Hoffman, CSA; General Management - Gentry & Associates; Company Manager - Mackenzie Douglas; Assistant Company Manager - Kate Friesen; Production Stage Manager - Sam Kronhaus; Assistant Stage Manager - Cello Blanks.
Performances:
April 11, 2025 through April 13, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Presented at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA.
TICKETS:
For More Information: 877-571-SHOW (7469) info@thehanovertheatre.org
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
The National Tour of "COME FROM AWAY" has finally landed at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. and there is so much to enjoy in this brilliant musical.
There are certain shows you watch and wonder are they actually deserving of the standing ovation received by its conclusion.
Not this one.
You'd be hard pressed to NOT find yourself already standing and cheering for this one before lights even come back up for the bows.
"COME FROM AWAY" not only touches upon the human condition, it stands by and cheers on the resilience of the human spirit.
The 12-member ensemble, backed by a superb band of on-stage musicians, moves together as one like a finely tuned machine.
This is an exemplary show worthy of its many years of being heaped with praise, even though some of that praise was not initially shared by New York theatre critics.
"COME FROM AWAY" is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
The show was a hit with audiences before even premiering on Broadway, with record-breaking runs in Seattle, San Diego, Washington, D.C. and Toronto.
So, when "COME FROM AWAY" opened on Broadway in 2017, it was an instant smash.
That said, it was not the darling of every NYC theatre critic at the time - with some denouncing it as pure “saccharine” for its overwhelming “feel good musical” approach.
Audiences didn't care, though, as they simply fell in love with "COME FROM AWAY," which is why the show is still popular everywhere the tour comes in for a landing.
In 2017, the show would also be nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning for Best Direction of a Musical (Christopher Ashley).
Other nominations included Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.
The Broadway production ran until 2022, closing after 25 previews and 1,669 regular performances.
Since then, the show has been on tour and sells out nearly everywhere it goes.
A live video recording of the production debuted in 2021, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
"COME FROM AWAY" is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport.
The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed for days with extremely limited resources.
Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
From the show's opener, "Welcome to the Rock," we are transported back to just moments before the events of 9/11 as we introduced to the community of Gander by its Mayor, Claude (Andrew Hendrick), just moments before the terrorist attacks in America.
Other Gander residents we are introduced to include Beulah (Kristin Litzenberg), a teacher and head of Gander Academy, Bonnie (Kathleen Cameron), a mother and SPCA worker; Janice (Jordan Hayakawa), a local reporter; Oz (Erich Schroeder), the small town cop, and Annette (Kaitlyn Jackson), a teacher and librarian.
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "COME FROM AWAY" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. until April 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
As the tragic events of the day unfold, the residents are alerted to the news and how the "38 Planes" are being redirected to Gander carrying an approximate total of 7,000 passengers - men, women, children and animals.
Up until this day, the main concern in town dealt with an ongoing bus strike, but with these events, residents (temporarily) put aside any petty squabbles.
The Gander townspeople band together to provide aid and comfort to those thousands of stranded passengers who would find themselves in Gander for several days.
One of the grounded airplane pilots we meet is Captain Beverly Bass (also played by Kaitlyn Jackson) who will eventually convey to us her life's journey in the emotionally charged "Me and the Sky," always a fan favorite song delivered well by Jackson.
While it would be impossible to learn about all the stranded passengers (aka the "plane people") and their respective stories, we do get to learn more about a few as the cast take on multiple characters and some composite characters as the musical continues.
And let's make no mistake here, musical form or not, "COME FROM AWAY" is storytelling at its finest.
Yes, the set, lighting and sound effects do supplement the story but, overall, it is simply this cast and their basic retelling of the actual real-life stories that makes this show compelling from start to finish.
Some of the "plane people" we do get more familiar with include:
Bob (Andre Williams), an African-American New Yorker on his way home; Diane (Tyler Olshansky-Bailon), a divorcée on her way home to Texas from Paris; Nick (John Anker Bow) a British man who was traveling to Texas on business for an oil company, Kevin T. (Richard Chaz Gomez) and Kevin J. (Ryaan Farhadi), a working couple traveling together; and Hannah (Hannah-Kathryn Wall) a mother worried and seeking answers about her missing New York Firefighter son.
All the multi-character performances are done to perfection with the actors sometimes changing between characters virtually within the blink of an eye.
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "COME FROM AWAY" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. until April 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
An interesting choice made by the creatives was to not have an intermission.
Even at an hour and 40 minutes, you don't want one.
The seamless storytelling by co-creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein requires no such interruption and, in some small way, our minor inconvenience of not having an intermission brings us a little bit closer to understanding the massive inconveniences these stranded "plane people" endured.
Elements of basic human compassion are blended in perfectly with elements of laughter, sadness, surprise and poignancy - all happening at a fever pitch - and the energetic 12-member ensemble never falters for a single moment.
While many "9/11" stories have been told from multiple perspectives, thank God for writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein for marvelously conveying the story of these Gander heroes and their acts of humanity on 9/11, 9/12, 9/13, 9/14 (and beyond).
The story of Gander in "COME FROM AWAY" proves how - even today - while faced by those who seek to strike us down, it is those others armed with the resilience of basic human kindness and compassion that will always help lift us back up again.
Photo: The CAST of the musical "COME FROM AWAY" playing at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. until April 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
"COME FROM AWAY" continues until April 13th, 2025 and concludes this year's Hanover Theatre Broadway Series.
Looking ahead at NEXT season's Hanover Theatre Broadway Series - Several shows in the highly anticipated line-up were announced at the April 11th "COME FROM AWAY" performance:
- The musical "SIX" by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss kicks off the 2025-2026 Broadway Series, beginning October 14th, 2025 and running through October 19th, 2025.
- This is followed by the Bob Fosse musical "CHICAGO" which struts with jazz hands open onto the Hanover Theatre stage between January 9th, 2026 through January 11th, 2026.
- Continuing a simply electrifying 2025-2026 Broadway Series season will be the percussion phenomenon "STOMP," co-created by Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell, starting February 20th, 2026 and stomping through February 22nd, 2026.
- Meredith Willson's immortal musical "THE MUSIC MAN" marches into the city of Worcester on May 15th, 2026 with the band playing until May 17th, 2026.
A fifth show in the Hanover Theatre Broadway Series will be announced September 22nd, 2025 (which gives local theatre fans plenty of time to check and see what shows touring elsewhere end on the 21st).
The Hanover Theatre also announced performances from their new Dance Series which will include:
- Complexions Contemporary Ballet on November 7th, 2025;
- Cirque Kalabanté on February 18th, 2026;
- Parsons Dance on April 2nd, 2026, and;
- Dance Theatre of Harlem on May 9th, 2026.
Finally, Hanover Theatre's THT REP Series at the BrickBox Theater will offer the following shows:
- "DOUBT: A PARABLE" from September 18th, 2025 through October 5th, 2025;
- THT REP's Fifth Annual "EDGAR ALLEN POE DOUBLE HEADER" from October 29th, 2025 through November 1st, 2025;
- William Shakespeare's "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" from January 28th, 2026 through February 14th, 2026, and;
- "WHO IS EARTHA MAE" created and performed by Jade Wheeler beginning April 8th, 2026 and running until April 19th, 2026.
For tickets and more information, contact Hanover Theatre at # 877-571-SHOW (7469) or via email at info@thehanovertheatre.org
Approximately one hour, 40 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.
Celebrate the best of humankind and the best in all of us at "COME FROM AWAY."
"COME FROM AWAY" chronicles the real-life experiences of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the almost 7000 airline passengers who were forced to land there when U.S. air space was closed on September 11, 2001.
Twelve actors tell the story of both the Islanders and the Plane People, revealing the fear and uncertainty that came with the terrorist attacks – as well as the profound generosity and compassion of strangers.
While some characters and stories are an amalgamation of several people and experiences, others are grounded in true people, such as Captain Beverly Bass, the first female captain for American Airlines; Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung, the couple from L.A.; and Nick and Diane, the couple who met in Gander.
The music of "COME FROM AWAY" blends both traditional musical theatre styles (“Me and the Sky,” “Stop the World”) as well as traditional Newfoundland orchestrations (“Heave Away,” “Screech In”).
The Islanders are distinguished from the Plane People by their use of a Newfoundland dialect, which they point out in “Welcome to the Rock.”
Along with acting out the events of the four days, characters step out from the story to narrate the events.
Staging is minimal, making use of only a few tables and twelve chairs to be the airplanes, the buses, and the various locations within Gander.
The creators of "COME FROM AWAY" have stated that this is not a September 11th story, it is rather a September 12th story - a story of the best people have to offer each other, and a reminder that we are all capable of doing good for each other, especially in the darkest of times. (STAGEAGENT)
For More Information: 877-571-SHOW (7469) info@thehanovertheatre.org
BUY TICKETS
ABOUT HANOVER THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Worcester Center for Performing Arts is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
HANOVER THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2 Southbridge Street
Worcester, MA. 01608
# 877-571-SHOW (7469)
