A Broadway recording of Come From Away is being streamed globally via Apple TV Plus, and WhatsOnStage had the chance to discuss the filmed piece with director Chris Ashley, writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein and cast members Joel Hatch, Q. Smith, Paul Whitty, Sharon Wheatley, Caesar Samayoa and Astrid Van Wieren.
The musical, which first premiered on Broadway in March 2017, follows the passengers of 38 flights grounded in the week of the September 11 attacks, when they are forced to land at the sleepy town of Gander in Newfoundland. The small town is faced with the task of housing and feeding 7000 stranded travellers.
Come From Away has book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and is directed by Christopher Ashley, with musical staging by Kelly Devine, music supervision and arrangements by Ian Eisendrath, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen and orchestrations by August Eriksmoen.
The WhatsOnStage Award-winning piece has been recorded at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York, featuring cast members from the Broadway production (in total, 200 creatives will be involved either on-stage or behind-the-scenes).
It will be available from Friday 10 September, with RadicalMedia, who captured Hamilton and David Byrne's American Utopia, having overseen filming. Christopher Ashley directs the filmed piece.
The cast will composed of Petrina Bromley (original cast member) as Bonnie and others, Jenn Colella (original cast member and Tony Award nominee) as Beverley/Annette and others, De'lon Grant (Jersey Boys) as Bob and others, Joel Hatch (original cast member) as Claude and others, Tony Lepage (Rock of Ages) as Kevin T and others, Caesar Samayoa (original cast member) as Kevin J /Ali and others, Q Smith (original cast member) as Hannah and others, Astrid Van Wieren (original cast member) as Beulah and others, Emily Walton (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Janice and others, Jim Walton (Sunset Boulevard) as Nick/Doug and others, Sharon Wheatley (original cast member) as Diane and others and Paul Whitty (Once) as Oz and others.