Long-running musical “Come From Away” will play its final Broadway performance Oct. 2, the production announced on Wednesday.
Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, “Come From Away” tells the true story of 38 planes that were ordered to land in Gander, Newfoundland, on Sept. 11, 2001, following the World Trade Center attack. The musical follows several passengers from the planes as they are housed by residents of Gander, and develop long lasting friendships in the shadow of a tragedy.
The show was first workshopped in 2013 at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and received productions at La Jolla Playhouse, Ford’s Theatre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre before opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway in March 2017. The musical ran continuously until the Broadway shutdown in March 2020, before reopening last September. The show will close after 1,670 performances, making it the 49th longest-running production in Broadway history, and the longest-running show in the Schoenfeld’s history.
“Come From Away” was a critical and commercial success throughout its run, receiving seven nominations at that year’s Tony Awards, including for best musical, with Christopher Ashley winning for best direction of a musical. There are three other ongoing global productions of the musical: two tours in North America and Australia, and an Olivier Award-winning production on London’s West End.
The Broadway production also spawned a filmed recording, captured during the Broadway shutdown, currently streaming on Apple TV+. The show will play a run at the Ottawa’s National Arts Centre in 2024, which will then transfer to the Babs Asper Theatre in Toronto for a limited engagement.