Come From Away

Based on a true story, Come From Away is the feel-good, must-see musical about diverse humans coming together after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. This updated 10th Anniversary production is as timely as ever, and it is highly recommended no matter how many times you have experienced this story. Book, music, and lyrics are by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

Because there are at least five different years and two different 10th anniversaries involved, allow me to first explain the math, since you may be confused if you know this show was on Broadway in 2017 (not ten years ago). Prior to the successful Broadway run in 2017, Come From Away first had success in 2015 as a co-production between Seattle Rep and La Jolla Playhouse. This new production directed by Brandon Ivie is the 10th anniversary of the 2015 start at Seattle Rep.

Furthermore, the story also involves a different 10th anniversary when the “come from aways” return ten years later for a reunion on September 11, 2011. Ivie cleverly incorporates the story’s 10th anniversary into this production’s 10th anniversary by having this production’s story start in 2011, not 2001. Those familiar with the original production may recall the story ends with this reunion, as it does here, too, but we now also start with the reunion in order to make the experience more immersive.

I’m a big fan of shows that actually start prior to the curtain time, and this production starts the moment your ticket is scanned. I always tell people to get to their seats early, as you never know when a director will make this choice to start the show before the show. Other examples that come to mind where the show starts early, while the house lights are still up, include MJ the Musical, Maybe Happy Ending, and of course The Play That Goes Wrong. I love this choice whenever a director chooses to set the mood well before curtain time. In this case, as soon as your ticket is scanned, you have entered the 10 year reunion festivities on September 11, 2011. There is a handout that directs you to various activities, and you can even go on stage to get a drink, since you are now one of the “come from aways” just like the other characters. If you pay close attention, you will notice that various characters are arriving on stage and greeting each other after not having seen each other for ten years. Again, this is all prior to the official start and while the house lights are still on.

Also look around to notice the sports team flags throughout the auditorium, which is now a gymnasium. And this production gets a whopping four basketball hoops in its gym, while Liberation on Broadway - also in a gymnasium - only gets one basketball hoop. This set is very nicely done. I had previously noticed with Liberation on Broadway just how much detail goes into creating a gymnasium, and this set does it even better. Tim Mackabee is the Scenic Designer for this production.

Perhaps what jumps out at me more than anything in this production is the lighting design by Robert J. Aguilar. I regularly tell people that lighting design is one of the biggest differences between shows in New York and Seattle. The lighting in this production of Come From Away is just stunning, and I will reluctantly state it is superior to the original production’s lighting design. It is consistently powerful throughout the show. When you combine this intimate venue size (similar to a small Broadway house), this set, and this lighting design, it indeed feels like you are in a Broadway house seeing a Broadway production. I have seen more shows in New York than in Seattle this year, and this production’s lighting design beats out many of the shows I have seen in New York this year. Lighting can be so powerful, and Aguilar has done an incredible job.

The sound levels on Opening Night were a bit too high, which detracted from this production’s beautiful music a few times. This is a difficult job, as you need to make sure the instruments do not overpower the vocals, but at the same time, the human ear experiences pain when high sound levels are sustained. If you are sensitive to sound levels set too high, you may want to take hearing protection to this show.

Despite the sound levels being a bit high, the music is still beautiful, and the actor musicians contribute to the enjoyment of this production. It is so impressive to see the talent on this stage. Do we call this a quadruple threat? This cast not only brings the acting, singing, and dancing, but they bring their talents with musical instruments as well. My daughter pointed out to me how the hilarious cardiologist scene is even better with the addition of guitars. Am I the only one who wishes that scene was just a few seconds longer? So fun. Chris Ranney is Music Supervisor and Conductor, Elisa Money is Associate Music Director, and Ken Travis is Sound Designer. This is a show where you may find yourself listening to the Broadway Cast Recording over and over again, as this music is just so good.

Costume Designer An-lin Dauber has an important job in this show, as there are just so many characters! Actors play numerous characters each, and the costumes help us keep track of who is who. In this story, you really should not be noticing the costumes if done well, and the costumes did their job perfectly. This show does a really nice job with quick changes - often happening right on stage - and the costumes are effective in helping us know who is who. I was never once confused, despite so many characters, and it is impressive how these actors shift from character to character - and from costume to costume - so frequently.

I previously mentioned I enjoyed this production’s lighting design even more than the original production’s. Another area where this production excels is with Kate Myre’s dialect coaching. I have listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording hundreds of times, and this cast seems to have even more consistent dialect than does the wonderful original cast.

Last but not least on the creative front, choreographer William Carlos Angulo and Dance Captain Cedric Lamar, along with Ivie, have done a nice job with all of the stage movement. There is nice coordination between this movement and the lighting and sound, which of course speaks just as loudly as the script.

There are too many cast members to mention them all, and what I really appreciate is the balance of this cast and how they are each excellent. I sometimes view it as a negative if one or two actors stand out significantly more than the rest of the cast, and I like how each actor is excellent in this production - and for multiple characters each! My daughter commented she was surprised how much this cast looks like the original cast, and then she couldn’t believe it when I added that some of them also appear very similar to the real life humans these characters are based on. The casting is excellent even when you do not consider they are also actor musicians.

I started to write about my favorite actors, favorite storylines, and favorite characters, but then I realized they are actually all my favorites. So I will skip any potential spoilers and just encourage you to go see this story and this cast for yourself. The entire cast list and creative team are listed at https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202526-season/come-from-away.

If you are familiar with the story, open your mind to actor musicians, and you will enjoy this enhancement. Also know the change to starting in 2011 instead of 2001 is primarily for the pre-show, so do not let the 2011 banner confuse you as it did me when I first saw a rehearsal.

If you are not familiar with the story, you might be concerned this subject matter is too heavy. Rest assured you will smile and laugh a lot (yes you will also cry), and this is a feel-good, heartwarming story despite the heavy moments. There is a small amount of explicit language, so bring your teens (student ticket prices are available) but perhaps not your little ones. At under two hours long, this is a great one for the family.

Despite extensions, this run is almost sold out, so act quickly on securing tickets. The official box office is at seattlerep.org. If you can only see one show in Seattle this holiday season, this is the one to see.

Sensory Accessibility:

• Link to Seattle Rep Social Narrative

• Link to Sensory Guide (coming soon)

See more show reviews from 2025.