COME FROM AWAY:

The Best of Humanity on a Day the World Also Witnessed the Worst

STORY BY Page Leggett

Actor Ali Momen was in his final year of high school in Toronto when 9/11 happened.

“But if it wasn’t for this show,” he said, “I wouldn’t know this story. Even as a Canadian, I didn’t know this happened.”

He’s referring to the people of tiny Gander, Newfoundland, taking in the passengers—aboard 38 planes—who’d been diverted there once U.S. airspace was closed after four separate, coordinated terrorist attacks. The true story of those 7,000 stranded passengers—and the open-hearted strangers who welcomed them—has been immortalized in Come From Away, the Tony Award-winning musical (for best direction of a musical) on a North American tour through the end of May.

“I remember having the recognition that things would never be the same,” Momen said. “But in hindsight, I remember the acts of heroism –people going into the rubble. And it reminds me: There’s a choice we can make. We can look at the negative of an event, and I understand that. But, it’s important for us to look at the beautiful things humans do when tragedy occurs.”

He said: “These people chose kindness and generosity. And both those things are infectious. I know people who’ve seen this show and say their lives were changed by it. This show has taught me to always look for the light in the darkness.”

“BOOM! YOU’RE IN IT”

The Toronto-based Momen, who plays the roles of both Kevin J. and Ali, has performed this show more than 1,000 times.

How can he keep it fresh night after night? He said the show’s structure does that for him. “It begins the same way it always does, and that’s with a collective celebration from the cast and audience,” he said. “Welcome to the Rock” is that celebratory opening number.

“That’s a constant,” he said. “The show has this relentless forward movement to it so that what’s going on in your own life doesn’t matter once the show starts. All of a sudden, you’re going. You’re caught up in it, which is very similar to what these people (in Gander) had to deal with. This big thing happened, and then—boom!—you’re in it, and there’s no going back. That’s what makes the show really special to watch and also to perform.”

The show, with exuberant songs and a minimalist set, moves at a brisk clip. It’s just one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. The audience is swept up in the human drama—with plenty of comedy to lighten the load— from the initial celebration to the final one.

Librettists Irene Sankoff and David Hein focus on a handful of characters —many based on actual people, plus a few composite characters. One of those characters, Kevin J., is half of a gay couple—“the Kevins”—trying to make it back to Texas. (Momen has met the real Kevin J., which, he said, helped him “get closer to the story.”) Momen also plays Ali, an Egyptian who is, he said, “hit with some Islamophobia and trepidation by the townspeople.”

While the people of Gander opened their hearts and their homes to most of the temporarily homeless passengers, some were initially skeptical of the Kevins and especially of Ali. “One reason I’ve enjoyed doing the show for so long is that both Kevin J. and Ali live with a kind of conflict in the town. (Most) characters in the show show up in Gander, and it’s amazing and positive—the kindness and the altruism of these people. But it’s interesting for me to play the inverse of that.”

Favorite Moment

One of Momen’s favorite moments in the show happens when he asks

Beulah, the Ladies’ Auxiliary treasurer who feeds the masses at the Legion Hall, if he can help with the food. “It’s just these two individuals—an Egyptian chef and a local mom from Gander—who get lost in translation. It’s just a perfect moment. I love it.”

Momen and the company have traveled everywhere with this show, but one place that was especially meaningful to perform was in Newfoundland —before the very people the show is about. They performed in Gander in the arena that’s referenced in the show as “the world’s largest refrigerator.” (It’s where food for the 1,700 guests had to be stored during their stay.)

They also performed in St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland. “We were in the big, domed arena,” Momen said. “And we sold out three nights. We were there a day after Sting, and we heard he only sold out two nights.”

Momen, active on stage and screen, hopes to return to the TV series “Transplant” on NBC later this year. Other credits include “Star Trek: Discovery” (CBS), “The LA Complex” (CW) and “The Strain” (FX).

What he’s most looking forward to, though, is going home. “After all this time on tour,” he said, “I can’t think of anything more beautiful than sitting on my couch with my girlfriend and my dog.”

Junkyard Dog Productions

Jerry Frankel Latitude Link Smith & Brant Theatricals

Steve & Paula Reynolds David Mirvish Michael Rubinoff Alhadeff Productions

Michael Alden & Nancy Nagel Gibbs Sam Levy Rodney Rigby Spencer Ross Richard Winkler Yonge Street Theatricals

Sheridan College Michael & Ellise Coit Ronald Frankel

Sheri & Les Biller Richard & Sherry Belkin Marlene & Gary Cohen Allan Detsky & Rena Mendelson Lauren Doll Barbara H. Freitag Wendy Gillespie

Laura Little Theatricals Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg Radio Mouse Entertainment The Shubert Organization Cynthia Stroum Tulchin Bartner Productions

Gwen Arment/Molly Morris & Terry McNicholas Maureen & Joel Benoliel/Marjorie & Ron Danz Pamela Cooper/Corey Brunish Demos Bizar/Tanninger Entertainment

Joshua Goodman/Lauren Stevens Adam Blanshay Productions/Judith Ann Abrams Productions Bill & Linda Potter/Rosemary & Kenneth Willman and La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre

Present

Book, Music and Lyrics by IRENE SANKOFF and DAVID HEIN

Featuring

MARIKA AUBREY KEVIN CAROLAN HARTER CLINGMAN CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON

JULIE JOHNSON JAMES EARL JONES II JAMES KALL JULIA KNITEL

ALI MOMEN KRISTEN PEACE DANIELLE K. THOMAS JEREMY WOODARD

JORDAN BARBOUR CLINT BUTLER KATE ETIENNE AMIR HAIDAR PHYRE HAWKINS CAILIN STADNYK

Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design BEOWULF BORITT TONI-LESLIE JAMES HOWELL BINKLEY GARETH OWEN

Orchestrations Arrangements Music Coordinator Hair Design AUGUST ERIKSMOEN IAN EISENDRATH DAVID LAI DAVID BRIAN BROWN

Casting Dialect Coach Tour Booking Agency Marketing Strategy and Direction Tour Press and Marketing THE TELSEY OFFICE JOEL GOLDES THE BOOKING GROUP ON THE RIALTO ANITA DLONIAK Rachel Hoffman, C.S.A. Meredith Blair, Kara Gebhart MELISSA A. HAZEK

General Management Production Management Company Manager Production Stage Manager ALCHEMY PRODUCTION GROUP JUNIPER STREET PRODUCTIONS, INC. ERIK BIRKELAND SHAWN PENNINGTON

Music Supervision IAN EISENDRATH

Musical Staging KELLY DEVINE

Directed by CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY

ComeFromAwaywas originally co-produced in 2015 by La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre and presented in 2016 by Ford’s Theatre ComeFromAway(NAMT Festival 2013) was originally developed at the Canadian Music Theatre Project, Michael Rubinoff—Producer, Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada and was further developed at Goodspeed Musicals’ Festival of New Artists, in East Haddam, Connecticut.

The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington, also provided development support.

Cast

Bonnie and others KRISTEN PEACE

Oz and others .................................................................................. HARTER CLINGMAN

Beverley/Annette and others MARIKA AUBREY

Janice and others .........................................................................................JULIA KNITEL

Bob and others ........................................................................... JAMES EARL JONES II

Claude and others KEVIN CAROLAN

Kevin T./Garth and others ........................................................... JEREMY WOODARD

Nick/Doug and others JAMES KALL

Kevin J./Ali and others ...................................................................................ALI MOMEN

Hannah and others DANIELLE K. THOMAS

Beulah and others .................................................................................. JULIE JOHNSON

Diane and others ............................................................... CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON

Standbys

Standbys never substitute for listed performers unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the appearance.

Janice, Bonnie, Beverley, Hannah, Beulah—KATE ETIENNE

Hannah, Beulah, Beverley, Diane, Bonnie—PHYRE HAWKINS

Beverley, Diane, Beulah, Janice, Hannah—CAILIN STADNYK

Bob, Oz, Claude, Kevin J., Kevin T.—JORDAN BARBOUR

Nick, Claude, Kevin T., Kevin J., Bob—CLINT BUTLER

Kevin J., Kevin T., Oz, Bob, Nick—AMIR HAIDAR

Dance Captain Clint Butler

The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device or such photographing or sound recording inside this theater, without the written permission of the management, is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for money damages.