The Broadway musical Come From Away, which has been playing to standing-room only since opening on the Great White Way in March 2017, is coming to Melbourne in July 2019, produced by Rodney Rigby and Junkyard Dog Productions. It tells the remarkable true story of the days immediately following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 when American air space was closed and 38 planes and 6,479 passengers were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, almost doubling the population of the remote Canadian town. Tensions initially ran high and cultures clashed but gratitude grew into trust and enduring friendships were formed.

The original Broadway cast of Come From Away. Photograph © Matthew Murphy

Come From Away features book, music and lyrics by Candian husband-and-wife Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who inerviewed many of the people involved. Following sold-out world premieres at La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre, the musical was presented by Washington’s Ford Theatre before moving to Broadway, where director Christopher Ashley won a Tony Award.

“Try, if you must, to resist the gale of good will that blows out of Come From Away… But even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble...