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Valley natives help promising musical take flight
INSIDE
The 2017 Broadway preview. C3
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
A pair of Youngstown natives are making their Broadway debut as producers of a new musical that has generated a lot of buzz.
Terry McNicholas and Molly Morris helped launch “Come From Away” by raising funds. The musical opens March 12 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Previews began Saturday.
“Come From Away” is a true and little-known side story that emerged from the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
It takes place in the town of Gander, in the Canadian island province of Newfoundland, where 38 jets bound for the United States were forced to land because of the ongoing attacks. The sudden influx brought 7,000 people to Gander, doubling its population in a matter of hours. “Come From Away” tells how the city pulled together to comfort and shelter its guests.
The musical already has played in regional theaters in San Diego, Toronto, Washington and Seattle, and broke sales records at each stop. Theater critics at newspapers in all of those cities have hailed it, and The New York Times named it to its “Memorable Theater of 2016” list.
For McNicholas and Morris, both Ursuline High School graduates, it’s a case of hitting the bull’s-eye on the first shot.
Morris was the first to recognize the musical’s strength. The airline flight attendant who lives in New York is a former stage actress.
“I call it the best story that nobody knows about,” she said. “It’s one of the most joyful stories I’ve ever been a part of.”
She calls it a “9/12” story, meaning it’s about the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Although Morris had given up her acting career a decade ago, she never lost her passion for theater and had recently re- entered the business as a producer. She and McNicholas formed a production company, International Incidents, and she came across “Come From Away” while searching for its first project.
She saw it a showcase for musical theater scripts and was immediately smitten. “I fell in love with it; it resonated with me,” she said. “It’s very unique.”
International Incidents is among a group of more than a dozen producers of the musical.
“Come From Away” starts on Sept. 11 and unfolds in a linear timeline, concluding with a 10-year anniversary gathering of those who were there.
Musically, it mirrors the lively Scotch-Irish culture of Newfoundland.
“The music sounds like a party in a pub,” said Morris.
Another unique aspect of the maritime province reflected in the musical is the kitchen party.
“It’s cold and remote there, so to keep entertained, they like to sit around the kitchen table and tell stories and play instruments,” said Morris. “That’s kind of the way the story is told.”
The musical was recently performed in the town of Gander, where it was embraced by the residents, said Morris. Though they were skeptical at first, the residents’ most common comment after seeing the musical was that they were accurately depicted. “They said, ‘I can’t believe how well they got us,’” said Morris.
Even the phrase “come from away” is a Newfoundland colloquialism that simply means someone who is not from the island.
Morris’ theater and dance career got its start in Youngstown. She was active at Ballet Western Reserve, the Youngstown Playhouse, Easy Street Productions and the Oakland Center for the Arts. She attended Point Park College in Pittsburgh for dance, and then moved to New York, where she was a part of regional and touring productions.
After she decided they should help bring “Come From Away” to fruition, her first call was to McNicholas. He was a natural proponent of the show, as both the man and the musical have airlines at their core.
McNicholas is retired from United Airlines as vice president of flight operations. Now the president of an airline software development company, he began his career as a pilot for Continental Airlines.
“Molly reached out to me and my colleagues [in the airline industry],” said McNicholas. “We saw it at its premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and we loved it.”
McNicholas said the story’s focus on the human element is fantastic.
“It’s about how the folks in Gander banded together to take care of so many people, with food, medical care and housing, in such an immediate fashion,” he said. “It recognizes human kindness.”
Gander, Newfoundland, is a remote place with a massive airport – a vestige of decades past when trans-Atlantic flights had to stop to re-fuel. These days, it’s much less busy because airliners can cross the ocean nonstop.
“Come From Away” is an ensemble piece with a cast of about a dozen actors who play a total of 50 to 60 roles.
It was written and composed by the husband-wife team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and is directed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Ashley (“Memphis”).