‘Come From Away’ finds kindness in tragedy

This review by longtime Charlotte arts critic Lawrence Toppman was published by The Charlotte Ledger on September 14, 2026. You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger’s commitment to smart local news and information and sign up for our newsletter for free here. Ledger subscribers can add the Toppman on the Arts newsletter on their “My Account” page.

by Lawrence Toppman

I cannot write an impartial review of “Come From Away,” especially on the weekend when terrorists took down the World Trade Center 25 years ago.

In the first place, I endorse the spirit of kinship that links people of all faiths and nations in this 2017 musical. In the second, I was stranded in Canada for five days after the attacks, like the characters in this endearing musical about the town of Gander; like them, I met unwavering kindness, though in Toronto.

And in the third place, I’m thinking about the absurd “trade war” our government is waging against a country that has been a friend and ally since shortly after we invaded it during the War of 1812. The show depicts what happens when tragedy connects Canadians and Americans (plus others “from away,” as in “not from Newfoundland”) on a rewardingly personal level.

Irene Sankoff and David Hein, two Canadians living in New York when the Twin Towers collapsed, wrote the book, music and lyrics. The husband-and-wife team had apparently collaborated on one musical a decade before, “My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding,” and have not premiered one since “Away.” But lightning struck once, and this show has universal appeal.