Come From Away coming to St. John's in January

There won't be a rotating stage but audiences will still see much of the full-scale production.

Show's Toronto cast will do 8 performances at Holy Heart Theatre

Terri Coles · CBC News · Posted: Oct 15, 2018 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 15, 2018

Steffi DiDomenicantonio, centre, and other cast members of the Mirvish/Junkyard Dog production of Come From Away, which ran at Winnipeg's Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre until Feb. 3 before moving to Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. (Matthew Murphy/Royal MTC)

Come From Away is coming to St. John's in January, with a streamlined version of the hit musical about passengers who were stranded in the Gander area in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Holy Heart Theatre will host eight benefit performances of the show, featuring the musical's Toronto cast.

The St. John's performances will be a concert version of the musical, which also continues to draw audiences on Broadway.

The eight performances won't have Come From Away's signature rotating stage — which can't be accommodated at Holy Heart — but will provide as much of the full experience as possible on a modified set, said Cheryl Hickman of Opera on the Avalon.

"It's as much as they can bring of the show as possible," Hickman said.

Mirvish Productions said audiences will be in for a treat.

"Come From Away In Concert features the entire script, songs and musical score, performed by the acclaimed all-Canadian cast of the Toronto production," the company told CBC News in a statement.

"The only elements missing are the set and lighting design, and some of the choreography. Otherwise it is the same show and experience."

Tickets go on sale Tuesday

The performances will run from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27, during the gap when the Toronto production is moved from the Royal Alexandra Theatre to the Elgin Theatre.

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Tickets for the St. John's shows will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Oct. 16.

The dates and times for the performances are as follows:

Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets will cost between $29 and $99, plus tax.

Cast to visit Gander after shows

The cast will visit Gander for a day, after the St. John's productions, before heading back to Toronto to continue the show's run there.

"We canvassed the cast and band to find out if they would be willing to travel and perform in what otherwise would have been a holiday week for them," said Toronto producer David Mirvish in a news release.

"Before we could finish our request, all of them were jumping for joy at the opportunity to visit Newfoundland."

Irene Sankhoff and David Hein, the creators of Come From Away, take a picture on the tarmac that is one of the settings for the Broadway musical. (Gander's Ripple Effect)

The net proceeds from the performances will go to the six towns — Gander, Gambo, Appleton, Lewisporte, Norris Arm and Glenwood — that hosted the 7,000 passengers who landed at Gander International Airport after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Money will also go to the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Community Food Sharing Association.

The show previously was performed by its original cast for an audience of 5,000 in Gander, before it opened in New York City or Toronto. That was also a concert performance, with the cast lined up at microphones instead of performing on its signature spinning stage used in the New York and Toronto productions.