Grand Opera House York – until Saturday 18th April 2026
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
5*****
Grand Opera House York is hosting York Stage’s production of the smash hit, Olivier and Tony Award winner, Come From Away. York Stage, led by Artistic Director and Producer Nik Briggs, unites local and professional talent to deliver high-quality musicals.
Written by Irene Sancoff and David Hein, Come From Away is based on real-life events that occurred as 9/11 was unfolding. With hundreds of flights, from all over the world, in the air being diverted out of American airspace, thirty eight planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland. Grounded for five days the local population virtually doubled in size.
While passengers remained confined to their planes, the local community quickly organised emergency shelters in schools, gyms, halls, and churches. Donations of clothing, food, medicine, and toiletries poured in. Passengers, kept unaware of outside events for hours, only grasped the situation when finally allowed to disembark, after strict security measures.
The islanders found themselves dealing with crowds of bewildered, frightened people trying to contact their families, stunned by the news. Locals cooked huge amounts of food and, when storage began to be a problem, turned the town’s ice rink into a massive refrigerator.
Threaded throughout the show are the experiences of those impacted by this event. Town Mayor, Claude (Richard Billings), steps up, uniting the community with the help Oz (Chris Wilson), the local policeman, teacher Beulah (Emily Hardy), Gander native Bonnie (Claire Morley), is concerned about the welfare of any animals left on the plane, dogged in her determination that they not be forgotten, and Janice (Megan Day) is the local news reporter, a rookie on her first day on the job. Beverley (Jacqueline Bell) is one of the pilots, the first female American Airlines captain, Hannah (Jessica Gardham), a mother who is desperately trying to contact her New York firefighter son. We get to glimpse a burgeoning romance between the very British Nick (Stu Hutchinson) and Texan Diane (Lana Davies), and the deterioration of another between Kevin T (Grant McIntyre) and Kevin J (Faisal Khodabukus). Theo Mayne, known for his appearance on the Traitors, created the biggest laughs on the night as Captain Bristol.
Come From Away is an energetic, almost entirely sung through musical, packed with musical numbers, with rapid storytelling and distinctive movement, choreographed by Danielle Mullan Hill. The cast of nineteen seamlessly switches between multiple roles, filling the stage with enthusiasm from start to finish, with music sitting at the heart of the piece. The ensemble features Emily Davis, Adam Gill, Eleanor Grady, Sarah Jackson, Kelly Kiernan, Rebecca Stevenson and Adam Thompson.
The band, led by Musical Director Stephen Hackshaw, played throughout from opening number, Welcome to the Rock, which bursts into life on the stage, you can feel the beat pulsing throughout the theatre, to the emotional I Am Here. They performs alongside the cast at the edge of the stage, as well as accompanying the cast intermittently. The musicians were outstanding and enhanced the incredible cast. Come From Away is a musical built on people, on the stories they carry and the kindness they extended. This production is fresh, full of vitality, energy, it will make you laugh and bring a tear to your eyes, but most importantly it is about rousing spirit, how people come together in the face of adversity, just what the world needs at the moment. The cast captured that spirit superbly and thoroughly deserved the standing ovation.
Although I hadn’t seen Come From Away before, I’d heard great things about it. After seeing this production I would jump at the chance to see it again and again. York Stage has once again delivered a fantastic show, consistently exceeding expectations with their productions. I urge everyone to go and see this York Stage production now at the Grand Opera House. Best be quick as tickets are selling fast.