COME FROM AWAY GETS CLOSER AT MARRIOTT

Marriott’s intimate in-the-round staging brings
the audience directly into Gander’s remarkable story

Come From Away

Twenty-five years ago on September 11, 38 commercial airline flights were diverted to a tiny Newfoundland town called Gander when U.S. airspace closed following the 9/11 attacks. Come From Away, the musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, is based on interviews with residents of Gander and the 7,000 stranded travelers they housed, fed, and clothed for five days.

Come From Away

I’ve seen Come From Away, which premiered on Broadway in 2017, four times now, but I’ve never seen it staged like this. Marriott Theatre’s production, directed by Jessica Fisch and choreographed by Katie Spelman, stages it in the round, inviting the audience in as “come-from-aways” (the Gander phrase for a traveler or visitor) and bringing us closer to the characters and their story.

Come From Away

Mayor Claude, played by Alex Goodrich, quickly wins over the audience with his easygoing Canadian friendliness. During the pre-show, he chats and shakes hands with audience members before giving us our first lesson in the notoriously challenging Newfoundland accent (dialect coaching by Sammi Grant). Scott Penner’s scenic design establishes Gander just as efficiently: a sign overhead bears the town’s name and the words “You are here,” while a huge red pin marks Newfoundland on a map of the world covering the stage floor.

Alex Goodrich

As the show begins, the lights dim, though the audience remains illuminated in blue, maintaining the connection between us and the performers. Claude removes the Newfoundland pin from the map as the residents of Gander pour onstage and begin an ordinary morning of coffee, school runs, and work. Then the radios come on with news that a plane has struck the World Trade Center. In an instant, ordinary life in Gander changes.

Come From Away

As diverted planes start to land at the airport, everyone jumps to work. Beulah, played by Denise Devlin, starts organizing an aid center, calling for donations from the town. She gets so much toilet paper she has to ask for the donations to stop.

Alex Goodrich

That spirit of generosity is central to this story. The same actors play both Newfoundlanders and come-from-aways, switching characters through clever onstage costume changes and distinct physical characterizations. As the visitors settle in, they drink whiskey, wear borrowed clothes, and eventually kiss a codfish during a raucous, musical “Screech-in” that will make you want to jump out of your seat to dance. By the end of these five days (or, in our case, 100 minutes), the visitors take some of Gander’s spirit back home with them.

Come From Away

The production asks us to take some of that spirit home, too. “You are here” to be one of them for a little while, as the actors shift from Newfoundlanders to come-from-aways and back again. We watch them welcome strangers from around the world with different skin colors, religions, sexual orientations, dietary restrictions, and so on. In 2026, when come-from-aways arriving in America don’t often receive such a welcome, the story of Gander speaks volumes.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Justin Barbin

Come From Away
Marriott Theatre
10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire
Wed. at 1 and 7; Thurs. at 7; Fri. at 7:30; Sat. at 4 and 8; Sun. at 1 and 5; select Thurs. at 1
ends Oct 18, 2026
running time: 100 minutes
tickets start at $78
for tickets, call 847.634.0200 or visit Marriott Theatre

for more shows, visit Theater in Chicago

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦