Come From Away – A Powerful 9/11 Story with a Message of Hope

Feb 15, 2026 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

On September 11, 2001, the world stopped. The United States closed its airspace, diverting planes and forcing them to land across Canada, including the small Newfoundland town of Gander, which had once been the largest airport (when planes needed to refuel to cross the Atlantic). The musical Come From Away (playing at the Papermill Playhouse through March 1st) recounts this community’s response. A quiet community of 9,000 that jumped into action. They welcomed 38 international flights and 7,000 stranded passengers, providing hospitality that turned fear into friendship and strangers into family.

Come From Away is a lively, upbeat Tony-winning musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. This production will make you remember. Directed and choreographed by Richard J. Hinds, with performers playing instruments on stage, giving depth and emotion as the events of 9/11 played before our eyes. It balances good and evil – devastation, uncertainty, and fear with compassion and community.

The Events 

While 9/11 still evokes some feelings of fear and uncertainty, it is unimaginable what this felt like to the “plane people” travelers from across the globe whose flights were rerouted, forced to land, but not told why. Come From Away reimagines what this experience felt like, simultaneously from two perspectives –  the locals and the “plane people”.

The locals from Gander scrambled to provide shelter, food, and hot showers. Repurposing an ice rink into “the largest walk-in freezer in the country.”Some opened their houses to the visitors. The small community rallied to provide comfort, fretting to make sure they had everything for as long as needed. The pharmacies filled prescriptions without cost, banks of free public telephones were installed so visitors could call home, while donations of toiletries, clothing were distributed. The locals also provided distractions and activities to help the “plane people.” They established bonds, some of which would last a lifetime.

The ‘plane people” were scared and were looking for answers. Some had waited on planes for over 28 hours and were stranded in a strange place, left without information (because, in 2001, cellphones were not common). It was not until they reached the shelters that they were able to watch the news, recognize the magnitude of the situation, and have access to telephones to contact family, friends, and loved ones.

Relevance

The title, “come-from-away,” is slang for someone who is not from Newfoundland. The show attempts to accurately represent the events, creating main characters based on interviews conducted with the ‘plane people’ and Newfoundlanders. These roles include Captain Beverley Bass (the first female captain for American Airlines), Kevin T. (a passenger who later founded a charitable initiative because of the kindness of Gander), Nick and Diane a British man and Texan woman who met in a shelter, fell in love, and eventually married, Bonnie (who managed the local animal shelter and took care of the pets on the plane), and Hannah (a passenger whose son was a NYC firefighter).

We meet Rabbi Leivi Sudak, stranded in Gander, a community without any known Jews. When they noticed he was not eating with the others, they allowed him to make a kosher kitchen in a faculty lounge.  He was contacted by a Holocaust survivor of Polish origin, who had kept his Jewish identity a secret.

The show touches on the anti-Muslim sentiment, reminding us of the paranoia following 9/11, and the impact it had on innocent people. Showing how fear can quickly turn to hatred.

Central to the show is recognition of a community that placed the needs of others before its own. It recognizes the power of people to do good and the harm caused by fear.

This Performance

The cast fluidly moves between characters, playing both Newfoundlanders and plane people, using lighting and staging to move between locations, keeping an uninterrupted pace and intensity through the 100-minute performance.

Amazing performances given by all, this was a show where these roles demanded high energy. Each performer played multiple roles, working as a well-synchronized team, stepping from role to role, scene to scene, changing accents and characters. It showcased their amazing voices, musical acumen and delivered an unimagined impact on the audience.

The performance fearured a highly talented cast (many with Broadway credentials) including: Jeannette Bayardelle (Girl from the North Country, & Juliet), Andréa Burns (The Notebook, In the Heights), John El-Jor (Mean Girls), Nick Gaswirth (Ragtime), Lisa Howard (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Lisa Helmi Johanson (POTUS), Kent M. Lewis, James Moye (Bull Durham at the Papermill Playhouse), Jason Tyler Smith, David Socolar, Erica Spyres (Carousel), and Brandi Knox (understudy in the performance we attended).

Everything about this production felt right. The music, dance, and staging fit, creating a sensational performance. Taking us from laughter to tears (and back again).

It was touching how the Newfoundlanders showed acts of kindness to strangers, refusing financial compensation, simply suggesting that if roles were reversed, they would have done the same thing. This is a must-see production, a reminder of the importance of gratitude, and how everything can change in just one day.

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Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed. 

Come From Away – Received a 5 Challah rating

At the Papermill Playhouse through March 1st

Running Time – 100 minutes with no intermission