The cast of Come From Away perform on Broadway in 2017.The Canadian Press
The Tony-Award-winning musical Come From Away continues to be a box-office sensation. Mirvish Productions has announced that the made-in-Canada show, originally scheduled to close its limited engagement at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre in January, 2019, will transfer to Toronto’s Elgin Theatre the next month.
The announcement comes after the production has sold out every show at the Royal Alexandra since opening its second engagement there in February. In just 14 weeks, Come From Away has earned back its full capitalization.
“I think shows reflect needs of the moment,” David Mirvish told The Globe and Mail. “Come From Away is about kindness − it’s a theme that resonates with people in these divisive times.”
The transfer means moving the already-booked Opera Atelier production of Mozart’s Idomeneo, scheduled at the Elgin Theatre in April, 2019, to the Ed Mirvish Theatre. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust, while the Royal Alexandra and Ed Mirvish Theatres are owned by Mirvish Productions.
“We’re honoured to have the opportunity to present Opera Atelier, an excellent company we’ve presented in the past. We’re hoping new members of our audience will attend Idomeneo,” Mr. Mirvish said.
Come From Away, written by Canadian husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff, tells the story of a small Newfoundland community that welcomed 7,000 stranded airplane passengers on the night of Sept. 11, 2001. The production has won numerous awards across North America, including the Tony Award for “Best Direction of a Musical.”
Come From Away first opened in New York in March, 2017, at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where it continues to play in an open-ended run. The production will launch a third company, which will tour North America beginning in October. A fourth company will open in Melbourne, Australia, at the Comedy Theatre in July, 2019.