When the lights went out on Broadway, the Come From Away cast took to the streets

Broadway musicals go ahead in the biggest blizzards and hottest heat waves the city sees, so when Manhattan suffered a blackout on Saturday night, the shows had to go on — one way or another.

Several shows took to the streets to perform impromptu songs for the massive crowd growing outside. That included Newfoundlander Petrina Bromley and her Come From Away co-stars.

"It took a minute for people to realize what was happening, because, you know, it's New York City. It's Times Square," she said. 

"With the power down, there were sirens everywhere and car horns honking and thousands of people in the streets."

The cast launched into Welcome to the Rock, with a confused crowd of onlookers at first. They quickly caught on and began singing along, taking their phones out and filming the scene.

In an interview Monday, Bromley said it was a special moment in a bizarre night that saw the power go out around 7 p.m. as the cast and crew were preparing for the 8 o'clock curtain. 

Sellout crowds were stuck outside as marquees went dark up and down the famed theatre district. 

Out of the darkness

Bromley said the cast starting looking online and realized the west side of Manhattan had gone dark.

About 45,000 people were waiting outside, in an area of Broadway packed with theatres and sold-out shows.

"It's crazy at the best of times when people are actually getting into theatres," she said with a laugh.

"There's all these people lining the sidewalks. So traffic was down to one lane on our street because there were just people everywhere. It was pretty crazy."

Bromley said one of the performers suggested they go outside and entertain fans while they waited to see if their show was going ahead.

"I don't think people were expecting anything. At that point we didn't know the show wasn't happening. We, on the inside, I think had a pretty good idea that it was unlikely. But people on the outside didn't know at all."

The call was soon made to cancel that night's performance of Come From Away, which has become a sort of pilgrimage for many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians visiting New York. The hit musical is about how residents of the Gander area rallied to help thousands of air travellers who were stranded there when airspace closed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks. 

"Newfoundland is so small, I actually did know a couple people who were supposed to be going to the show," Bromley told The St. John's Morning Show.

While Saturday's performance didn't go ahead, she said she still made sure to meet up with them.

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