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From Broadway to London\u2019s West End, racking up awards along the way, Come From Away <\/em>is the Canadian theatre feel-good story of the century. But, the story behind the celebrated musical begins in Canada, and with a show that was the hit of Toronto Fringe a decade ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always loved musical theatre,\u201d says Irene Sankoff, one half of the dynamic Canadian duo that has taken the world of musical theatre by storm. She recalls watching old musicals on TV with her mother, a nurse, after her shift finished, and going to as many as she could in person. \u201cIt\u2019s always been a part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Irene took dance lessons as a child, but realized her love of musicals was out of sync with most of her fellow students in high school. \u201cI didn\u2019t even used to tell people I was into musical theatre,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n David Hein\u2019s background is more in folk music than show tunes. \u201cI grew up around folk music,\u201d he says, describing family events where an acoustic guitar was sure to make an appearance. \u201cIrene really introduced me to musical theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n He points out that Come From Away <\/em>is what he calls, \u201ca perfect marriage of our backgrounds,\u201d combining folk-style storytelling with the staging of theatre. According to Hein, it was that background in folk that, somewhat paradoxically, led to their first musical production \u2013 that, and the busy schedules of a young couple who were spending a lot of time apart. \u201cIrene and I started writing together because we wanted to spend time together,\u201d he says simply.<\/p>\n Hein wrote a song about his mother\u2019s upcoming nuptials as a gift to her, and as he toured North America with it, he saw the crowd\u2019s reactions. He began to add to the story. With some work and a little stage magic, those songs became My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding<\/em>, the Toronto Fringe show that could.<\/p>\n Written by David Hein and Irene Carl Sankoff, with songs by Hein, starring Hein and Lisa Horner, the show debuted as a Fringe show in 2009. With a sold-out run and a lot of buzz, it caught the eye of David Mirvish, and went on to another successful run at the (then) Panasonic Theatre on Yonge as an expanded production. From there, it toured Canada and the United States, including an invitation to the 2010 New York Musical Festival. The show has seen remounts across North America in 2012 and 2015, and its message of tolerance and marriage equality gives it more topical relevance than ever.<\/p>\n Come From Away<\/em> came out of a suggestion made by Toronto lawyer and theatre lover Michael Rubinoff. Rubinoff wanted to present audiences with a story about a bright spot of hope in the midst of the chaos as the 10-year anniversary of 9\/11 loomed. He suggested a 9\/11 story that focused on Gander, Newfoundland, and the way the town of fewer than 10,000, opened its doors and its heart to about 6,600 plane passengers stranded by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. It opened up a new angle to the couple.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were living in New York on September 11,\u201d says Irene, \u201cso we knew it as New Yorkers.\u201d Sankoff says they were inspired by the idea of different cultures and backgrounds coming together in a time of tragedy. \u201cYou can choose to help each other,\u201d she says. It resonated with the environment they were living in at the time in NYC, in a student housing complex full of people from different backgrounds.<\/p>\n And so, the two set off for Gander to do the research, recording countless stories. \u201cEvery story was better than the last,\u201d Hein remembers. \u201cThe joy of it was hearing their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n After trying to get as many of the 16,000 individual stories down that they could, the next step was how to compile and construct a single, coherent script, necessarily creating composite characters and combining scenarios. \u201cThe first version was about five hours long,\u201d David recalls, \u201cand they weren\u2019t even out of the plane yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to tell as many stories as possible,\u201d Irene says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal was always, if those people came to see us, that they\u2019d feel honoured,\u201d Hein adds. As far as their ambitions for the show, they began modestly. \u201cWe thought Canadian high schools would be forced to do it,\u201d Hein says with a laugh.<\/p>\n With its emphasis on story and the uplifting theme, it was an immediate hit with audiences. \u201cEveryone in that moment, on that day, wanted to help.\u201d It\u2019s a powerful message, especially given recent events. Hein points out that, sadly, terrorist attacks are now a regular occurrence, and maybe that\u2019s part of the musical\u2019s appeal. \u201cOn those days that attacks happen, we can come together.\u201d It\u2019s a message that people seem eager to hear.<\/p>\n After a successful Toronto run, the show went on the road, from Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre on to Washington’s Ford’s Theatre, San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse. and the Seattle Repertory Theatre, among others, winning fans along the way.<\/p>\n The show landed on Broadway in March of 2017, opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, and became an instant hit, with celebrities and other VIPs making the show, including some of the Newfoundlanders whose stories were being told. The show was nominated for seven Tony awards, and took home one for Best Direction, awarded to American Christopher Ashley. The show also racked up a few more awards during its Broadway run, including three Drama Desk Awards, and four Helen Hayes Awards, both including outstanding musical.<\/p>\n In the fall\/winter of 2018, the show travelled to the UK, first at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin for its European premiere, and then went on to the Phoenix Theatre in London’s legendary West End, where it continued to bowl over audiences and critics alike. It stormed London\u2019s Obie Awards in April 2019, where it took home four honours, including best new musical, best choreography, best sound design, and outstanding achievement in music.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was such a trip,\u201d Irene recalls. \u201cNo one expected it. We were all so shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n Both of them credit their creative partners, talented musicians, and cast members who have worked with them, including Lisa Horner, who performs in Come From Away <\/em>after her leading role in their first production. Hein mentions the less tangible rewards that the show has brought to them, including being able to raise money for Newfoundland. The Canadian cast donated over $85,000 to help food banks across Newfoundland after fundraising performances in St. John’s.<\/p>\n There are a few irons in the fire that the couple can\u2019t discuss at the moment, but for now, Come From Away <\/em>is still filling up most of their days. As the show\u2019s five touring companies are established, up and running, they\u2019re also looking forward to spending more time with their daughter, who David says, \u201chas grown up with Come From Away <\/em>as a sibling,\u201d and who made her own stage debut recently.<\/p>\n The show may see a production in Argentina next year. \u201cWe\u2019re working on the film for it now,\u201d he reports. A companion book will also be published with a very intimate look at the musical and its inception, and the couple will also be publishing the script. The show itself is still playing in London, and touring, with the fifth company and production set to go shortly Down Under. The Australian premiere in Melbourne is set for July of this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get to celebrate everyone,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled that we get to share Newfoundland with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more updates on classical music and opera news and reviews? Follow us on\u00a0<\/i>Facebook<\/span>,<\/i><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0for all the latest.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From Broadway to London\u2019s West End, Come From Away is the Canadian theatre feel-good story of the century. But, the story behind the celebrated musical begins in Canada, and with a show that was the hit of Toronto Fringe a decade ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":60263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25164,4967,29,4780,62],"tags":[28791,28793,28792],"yst_prominent_words":[28795,28804,28801,28799,17730,28785,28805,28802,28800,28790,28794,28806,28803,6735,8715,28807,11678,8973,28786,14734],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/COME-FROM-AWAY.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-fFY","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60262"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70056,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60262\/revisions\/70056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60262"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=60262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/David-Hein-Irene-Sankoff-image1.jpg\")
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LUDWIG VAN TORONTO<\/i>
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