Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, West 45th Street, New York
April 3, 2018

Everyone has their 9/11 story – what they were doing and how they felt when the planes hit the Twin Towers – but not all are as compelling or inspiriting as those told in Come From Away, the little Canadian musical that could.

Jenn Colella and the cast of Come From Away. Photo © Matthew Murphy, 2017

Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s big-hearted, passionate whirlwind of a show has garnered rave reviews during a momentum-building run from workshops in Oakville, Ontario to Washington and Toronto. Winding up on the Great White Way last year, it was nominated for seven Tony awards (including Best Musical) and ultimately won for Best Direction. Now, the standing-room-only show, to which refugee-friendly Justin Trudeau pointedly took Ivanka Trump, is headed for Melbourne, and it’s fair to say that Australian audiences are in for a treat. And not only that. With its tight, finely-crafted script and approachable music, Come From Away achieves that rare feat of being broad enough to appeal even to people who don’t care for musicals.

Set in the days immediately following the September...