Come From Away at Sharon PLayhouse
A Timely Revival
By: Karen Isaacs - Sep 18, 2026
Come from Away is a favorite musical, so I did not mind seeing two productions of it this summer. The hit Broadway show was just made available to theaters and together with the 25th anniversary of 9/11, it’s been a popular choice.
Sharon Playhouse continues for presenting excellent productions’ Come from Away runs through Sunday, Sept. 27.
Take a day trip up to Sharon – a beautiful town in the northwest corner of Connecticut – to see this well-directed and well-acted version of the show.
Though it seems as though everyone must know the plot of come from Away by now, it is set in Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001, and the days following. Gander, once a major refueling stop for cross Atlantic flights becomes one of the airports that flights that are in the air on 9/11 are directed to when the US airspace is closed. 38 jumbo jets, mostly originating in Europe, are told to land; the 7,000 passengers on board exceed the population of the town. Yet, residents of Gander and surrounding towns rally to provide the passengers with food, shelter, and comfort until the flights are allowed to take off, days later.
The award-winning musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein uses an ensemble cast of 12 to play both Gander residents and some of the passengers and crew members who land there. It is based on interviews the pair conducted at the 10th anniversary, when many of the former stranded passengers returned to Gander for a reunion with the town residents.
Director Hunter Foster has assembled a fine ensemble cast. Each plays multiple roles but you are never confused who they are at a given moment. They easily transition from pilot to town resident, to passenger.
It is difficult to single out individual performers, but Max Bennett-Parker as Claude, the mayor of Gander is excellent as are Cameron Siran who plays both Kevin J (a California businessman) and Ali (an Arab chef) who others view with suspicion.
If you see the show more than once, you will develop favorite moments; Foster makes sure they all shine. Willie Marte is fine as Bob, an African American passenger who is at first frightened when asked by the mayor to go into people’s back yards and bring their grills to where a cookout will be held. He worries about someone shooting him or stealing his wallet. Instead, he is invited in for tea almost everywhere he goes.
Another moment for me is when Ali, who keeps offering to help with the food, tells Beulah, who is in charge, that he is an executive chef for a hotel chain; Beulah can’t wait to get him into the kitchen. But near the end, you see Ali embarrassed by a thorough search before being allowed on the airplane; what makes it worse is that the pilot, Beverley must be present.
The score is tightly woven to the story – from “Welcome to the Rock” which is the nickname for Gander, to “38 Planes,” and “Darkness and Trees” which describes the area. But there are individual standouts. “Prayer” led by a fine Ricky Oliver as Kevin T incorporates Christian, Jewish, and Muslin prayers/music. Cheslie Nectow as the airline captain Beverley has the most well-known number, “Me and the Sky” about her love of flying and her ground-breaking career. While all the stories and characters are based on real people, often they are composites; Beverley’s story is more specific to her.
All aspects of this production are outstanding – the costumes by Kathleen DeAngelis, lighting by Aidan English, sound by Graham Stone and scenic design by Christopher and Justin Swader, though I was confused by the multiple hanging light fixtures.
Please, make the effort to see this fine production.
Tickets are available at SharonPlayhouse.org