Come From Away: The extraordinary 9/11 musical now streaming on Apple TV+

When the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11, hundreds of planes were still in the air. What followed for 38 of them is the subject of a dazzling story.

Out of the ashes of the September 11 terror attacks is an unlikely love story.

Nick Marson, a British executive for an oil company, and Diane Kirschke, a Texan divorcee, were both on a Continental Airlines flight from London to Houston when their plane was diverted to an island off the easternmost tip of Canada.

Their flight was one of 38 planes lined up along the tarmac, all rerouted after North American airspace was closed after planes smashed into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

This Newfoundland island had an usually large airport and set of runaways, having previously been a refuelling stop for trans-Atlantic flights prior to modern aircraft that could carry the full fuel load for the trip.

The airport was also one of the many destinations chosen for Operation Yellow Ribbon because it wasn’t close to any population centres, in case any more planes in the air at the time posed a continuing risk.

The closest town was Gander, whose 10,000 population almost doubled as they welcomed some 7000 diverted and grounded passengers, as the Twin Towers still burned in New York 2000km south.

Planes on the tarmac at Gander airport in Newfoundland Canada on September 11, 2001.

Nick and Diane were among those passengers. They were strangers when they stepped foot onto the plane but after five days in Newfoundland, a romance blossomed. They celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this week.

Nick and Diane’s story is one of many strands thoughtfully woven into the stirring, toe-tapping ensemble musical Come From Away, a stage production with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

The production has been making its way around the world since 2013 – and was a hit on Broadway where it won a Tony Award for Best Direction. It has played in Melbourne and Brisbane while the current Sydney season was interrupted by lockdowns.

Now, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a filmed version of Come From Away is available to stream, shot in New York City’s Schoenfeld Theatre in May this year.

It was one of the first audiences back on Broadway and the palpable energy and excitement of the cast and the crowd can be felt in what the cameras captured. And it made the raw emotion of the production all the more poignant.

Come From Away tells the true story of the town of Gander in response to 9/11. Picture: Apple TV+

With a nimble cast of 12 performers, Come From Away tells the story of the ordinary townspeople and the passengers caught in a maelstrom, inspired by what really happened.

It’s a story that could’ve easily been forgotten if it hadn’t been immortalised in song.

Some of the plot lines are lifted directly from people’s experiences – like that of Nick and Diane – while others are composite characters.

But there’s nothing ordinary about the story, which shifts between the perspectives of the Gander folk who found themselves with thousands of people to feed and house, and the passengers separated from loved ones and uncertain of what’s to come, as they processed how terrorists weaponised the banal, commercial planes they just disembarked.

Even in an ensemble that was required to play multiple roles, Come From Away still carved out distinct characters, from Nick and Diane to pioneering pilot Beverley Bass.

And all the various story and character strands are skilfully balanced and delineated while the show maintains its togetherness vibe. The direction by Christopher Ashley and cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler favours dynamic wide shots to emphasise the collective.

The filmed version of the production was staged in May, 2021. Picture: Apple TV+

With its appealing numbers and moving performances, Come From Away is a feel-good musical that makes you believe in the good of people and communities.

But it doesn’t paint over the harsh truths of what emerged from the 9/11 attacks either.

It gives time to the Islamophobia experienced by one of the passengers, a Muslim chef who immediately draws suspicion, and who at the end of the story reveals his daughter is afraid to go back to school.

And Hannah O’Rourke, a stranded passenger who couldn’t make contact with her son, a New York City firefighter.

In the 20 years since the 9/11 attacks destroyed the feeling of invincibility in the West, many stories have emerged of the loss and heroism and the fear and compassion surrounding such a traumatic moment.

Come From Away is just one of them, and even though it’s an unusual art form to tell a story about a terrorist attack, it’s one of the most emotionally honest portraits of an unthinkable event.

Rating: 4/5

Come From Away is streaming now on Apple TV+

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Originally published as Come From Away: The extraordinary 9/11 musical now streaming on Apple TV+