IN a significant coup for the Canberra Theatre and its director Alex Budd, it was announced at a reception this morning (June 22) that the Broadway musical, “Come From Away” will be coming to Canberra in November.

The Canadian musical about a famous episode during September 2001 is set in the small town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada, which nearly doubled its population rapidly when after September 11, 2001, 38 aircraft carrying 6,579 passengers from 92 countries were diverted to the town’s airport.

The visitors are the “from away” part of the title and they became known as “the plane people”, welcomed by the townspeople in an extraordinary demonstration of sheer humanity that forms the core of the musical, where the actors play multiple parts.

This morning’s reception was hosted by the High Commissioner for Canada, Mark Glauser, who was keen to talk up the essential “Canadian-ness” of the show. It shows the openness of the “Newfies”, whose generosity extends to open-mindedness about gender preferences, saving stranded animals and providing sandwiches and solace.

“It is a timeless story about a community coming together. As we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11, it is a story that resonates more than ever,” Glauser said.

Confirming the idea that this generosity provides a link between Australians and Canadians, husband-and-wife duo David Hein and Irene Sankoff, who created the show, have drawn comparisons between Australia and Newfoundland in Dorothea Mackellar’s poem “The Colours Of Light”.

The show, which has won five Victorian Green Room Awards, four Olivier Awards and four Broadway World UK awards, has already been seen in Brisbane, Melbourne and is now playing in Sydney, where we reviewed it recently.

On hand this morning for the announcement, along with producer Rodney Rigby, was Zoe Gertz, who plays Beverly Bass, the real-life American Airlines pilot in the story, to sing her show-stopper, “Me And The Sky”.

As for Budd, he could hardly wipe the smile off his face as he told “CityNews” he believed this was first time the Canberra Theatre had hosted a Broadway musical while it was still running in its original form on the Great White Way.

“Come From Away” will play in Canberra from November 4, for a strictly limited season. Tickets go on sale from July 19 here but patrons can join the waitlist here.

A heart-warming journey through the human experience