Award winning musical ‘Come from Away’ to show at The Lowry

The four-time Olivier award winning musical ‘Come from Away’ is coming to The Lowry this December to close out their first ever UK tour.

‘Come from Away’ shares an emotional and uplifting true story of 7000 air passengers stranded in Canada, after being grounded in the wake of 9/11.

The passengers, known as ‘Come from Aways’, were welcomed by local residents of the small town of Gander.

‘Come from Away’ comes to the Lowry in Salford in December, as they close out their first UK tour.

It is set to be shown for a month, from the December 3 until January 5.

The production explores the unity of locals and passengers, including the stories of the first female American Airlines captain, the mother of a New York firefighter and many more.

The musical opened at the La Jolla Playhouse in June 2015.

This is where the current producer John Brandt saw the play for the first time and fell in love with it. 

When he first heard the story, he told his Canadian wife.

Later, he found out that her aunt made sandwiches for people that day in Lewisporte. This personal connection to the show along led him to fall in love with it.

He spoke on the community and human aspect of the show, saying: “This show is set in Gander, but it could be set anywhere.

“It’s about humanity coming together when times are hard and is a celebration of life and community.

“The people of Gander said ‘We’re going to open our doors, we’re going to help you, we’re going to look after you, we’re going to shelter you, we’re going to hold you if we need to and not ask anything back.’

“That’s how life should be.”

Sara Poyzer, who plays Beverly, the first female American airlines captain, said: “We’re not doing an impersonation of these people; we’re trying to embody their spirit.

“I saw this show in the West End with my sister, and I felt like I didn’t breathe for 100 minutes, so I know how it feels to watch that number and the responsibility there.”

In the play she sings a solo named Me and The Sky.

This is a powerful ballad which included a verbatim interview.

The writers used a conversation with the real-life pilot about her life and career.

Accordingly, the song reflects the urgency and her constantly remembering new details of her experiences.

Mark Dugdale, playing Kevin T, Garth reflected on the community spirit of the play.

He said: “I’m from Ireland originally, and I suppose it’s the same as Manchester, Liverpool, all those northern places, everyone’s just so friendly and so helpful.”

Producer John Brandt also praised the northern spirit of Salford, saying: “It’s a celebration, about being together with our communities and families.

“This is perfect at Christmas as Salford is the perfect place for this.

“It’s such a welcoming and friendly city with a strong community feel, so it relates so well.

“This is the perfect place to come to for a five-week celebration to close out the tour and I don’t think we could be lucky enough to go to a better place.”

More information about the show and tickets for The Lowry can be found here.