9/11-inspired play has Cd'A connection

By DEVIN HEILMAN

Staff Writer

As the world's eyes were fixed on New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, 38 planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers made emergency landings in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland.

The townspeople embraced the stranded passengers, who hailed from all over the world.

"It's a piece of our history that a lot of us didn't know about," said Laura Little. Coeur d’Alene-based Laura Little Theatrical Productions is one of the show’s producers. "They gave all the food they had in their cabinets, they had strangers shower at their house, sleep at their house for five days. Our town would do that, but I’m not sure every town in the United States would do that. It’s a great story about humanity.

"It's about how in a time of terror, the good comes out in people. They really take care of each other and ask for nothing in return."

"Come From Away," which makes its Broadway bow this weekend, shares these people's stories with realism, music and a dash of comic relief. Little said it's actually quite hilarious at times.

"That’s what made me realize that this show had something," she said. "When you can talk about a subject matter that could be so trying on you emotionally but you end up laughing quite a bit throughout the show — and you’ll get teary-eyed too — but a show that can make you flip-flop that way is a hard find."

The show has traveled the U.S. and Canada, breaking box office records everywhere, including Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

“It’s a very old theater, and it’s had many years to break records,” Little said. "We feel that audience was going to be really telling for us… It’s really surreal and it’s really exciting."

"Come From Away" is Little's third time producing a Broadway show. It opens Saturday night in the historic Gerald Schoenfield Theatre.

“I’m coming out of my skin with excitement and nerves,” she said. “It’s exciting and nerve-racking because people invest in these things. It’s not a little amount of money they put in, so you want to serve them well. In this particular case, I just cannot wait to sit in that audience again and watch the audience because I love the show so much. I just love to watch their reaction."

Locals will have an opportunity to catch this show through an organized trip with the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber's NYC trip includes hotel accommodations at the Sheraton Times Square, meals, shows and tours. Price varies from $600-$2,599 per person. For info, contact Ginger at [email protected] or 415-0108.