COME FROM AWAY ProShot Reaction and Review 

I didnt know about this musical I have been listening to it all day Thank you but also how dare you now im crying

I remember watching this live without listening to the cast recording and hearing them start singing in Hebrew. I only speak Hebrew with my family and walking around in places that aren't specifically Jewish we are always very aware of not being too loud, of not letting other people know that about us. So going to see a show where they just started singing a prayer I've grown up listening was so moving to me. They make such an effort to include so many people's stories in the show wether it's different nationalities, ethnicities or religious beliefs. Really showing how these people were from so many different cultures, looked differently and spoke different languages in my opinion is so important and I love the way they represent it.

The ugly stick is an actual thing!! “Kitchen Parties” are typically where they are present, and it is mostly a Newfoundland specific thing. I can’t remember where it came from right now, but you were right

I just have to mention one more time that Come From Away should have won the Tony.

Story time: I saw this show during it’s co-premiere in Seattle before it was determined it would transfer to Broadway. It was the strongest reaction I ever had to a live show. I couldn’t hop out of my seat at the end fast enough. I got tickets to see it a few more times before it closed. Then it was announced it would play in Washington DC and Toronto before moving to Broadway. I decided to follow it to see how it changed in each incarnation. It was fascinating! I timed my trip to DC on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. I had pretty much perfect seats for both performances that day. For the matinee, captain Beverley Bass and her husband Tom sat immediately to my left. I didn’t interrupt her except to ask her how many times this was for her. “Twenty” she said. I said it was my 7th I think at that point. (Tom was much more gregarious talking with people beforehand and telling them he wasn’t in the show but his name is TOM.) Then at the evening performance, Nick and Diane come and sit to my right. As soon as they came in, I threw my hands up laughing saying Beverley sat next to me earlier that day. Nick then talked with me a bunch about it and we took a picture. When they got to the “hot towel, hot towel, cold towel” scene, he leaned over to whisper “that actually happened” to me. They held hands the whole performance. It was soooooo cute! I’m just so glad Jenn Colella came back for this recording. She was my most pivotal original cast member, but there were 7 originals here. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen the show. I think 4 in Seattle the first time, 5 in DC, 4 in Toronto, 2 on Broadway, and then 2 or 3 times touring in Seattle? The Ali character got much more serious and fleshed out as the show developed. Costume Party changed the most from version to version, and Hannah’s song didn’t exist until Broadway. I had planned to see it in London in May 2020, but we all know what happened with that. Every performance I have seen had the turntable and I have a hard time imagining it without one. If that’s done somewhere, would be interesting to see.

"They're on stage basically the whole time right?" They were SO on stage the whole time that they had a panel hung on the wall where the water bottles were sorted by height so the actors could get a sip right before running under the stage to come out the other side. Water, of course, to avoid straining their voices. But yeah, when they cut down the cast to 12 this show became SO fast-paced.

Something I love so dearly about this musical is how personal it is to me. I was born in 2004 and my whole life I was aware of this tragedy but I don't think I really understood what it meant beyond the fact that people died and that was sad. I think also not being American I never really felt that pain (like to contrast that I also wasn't alive during WWII yet as a Jewish person who grew up with a grandfather who is a survivor I always really felt the consequences of that in my family and my community and understood the pain of it despite not experiencing it myself) and the affect it had on the world afterwards. This musical to me really encompasses all of that. It completely changed the way that I have viewed 9/11 and made me understand better what it meant. Don't know if that makes a lot of sense sorry if it doesn't.

I vaguely knew this musical existed but I didn't see it until this week. The parts that get me are the way Bonnie says, "Oz, turn on the radio, Oz, TURN ON THE RADIO", and also they way they deliver the line, "I can't watch the news anymore!" They capture the panic and fear and desperation that I remember of that morning of 9/11. 🥺 For people who don't remember 9/11, there is something so visceral and gut-wrenching about remembering a time when everyone was feeling the same terror and fear at the same time over the same horrible event.

I've never been religious, but I always thought it was so cool to see the communication using the bible, Idk why that always got to me. And As a Canadian, it really makes me proud of my country, even if Newfoundland is it's special brand of Canadia, this show has really made me want to move out there, or at least spend a summer on the island.

I adore this reaction! And I agree - despite how sad this show is, it is also a show that leaves you feeling happy and joyful. It is a show about kindness even while also being one about tragedy. And I certainly relate to the feeling of wanting to watch it again as soon as you see it.

American here. I was 13 when 9/11 happened and remember it very well. I saw the touring production of "Come From Away" several years ago and it was such a surreal experience because one moment I'd be into the show, the music, and then the next a lyric or line of dialogue would push me back in time to being my childhood self on that terrible September morning and the days after it. But at the end, I was left feeling hopeful, my faith in humanity restored. That's what the show is all about, the human spirit triumphing when it has every reason not to. Thank you to the creators and cast of "Come From Away", and to the people of Gander, Newfoundland. You're all wonderful and I want to visit someday and get screeched in. Thank you for all you did.

The actors doing the ‘Thank you for shopping at Walmart, would you like to come to my house for a shower?’ are niece and uncle in real life so apparently she was dreading the first time she had to deliver that line to him.

Beverley bass also wrote a childrens book called me and the sky to motivate other young girls to pursue their dreams just like she did

This was an amazing show and story. The show yes is about noticing differences that make us the same as you say. It's also about hope and positivity, taking care of each other in the darkest of times, about how human goodness is always a possibility, and it is a choice. I was captivated and couldn't stop watching and listening to-I've seen it live 3 times. I was learning to fly and I read about the pilot, Beverly Bass, who was depicted by Jenna Colella, (Jenna came back to play the role in the movie that was on Apple TV). I unexpectedly saw the pilot, Beverly Bass in an airport at 4:30 in the morning when I was on the way to a business trip. It was like meeting a celebrity. I introduced myself, she had a Come From Away bag over her shoulder-but I recognized her from watching documentaries about her. She told me she had seen the show over 100 times. (It has to be over 200 times by now) She said she and her husband were invited to opening night on Broadway, and had no idea that she would be feature so prominently. She said they couldn't stop crying the first several times she saw the show. You can imagine what that had to be like. In one documentary they talk about how she became close friends with Jenna Colella, and gave her her actual flight jacket she was wearing while piloting the 777 from Paris to Dallas that day when they got diverted to Gander. Jenna wore the jacket for parts of the show on stage. This is just a small example that amplifies why we have to tell stories about humanity and hope like this.

I literally started crying just from watching this reaction video and hearing those short emotional moments and I think that really shows how good it is. I was born like a year after 9/11 and so this musical really helped me understand this whole tragedy better, especially because I have no one around me who was personally affected by it (I’m not American) it’s sometimes really difficult to grasp the scale of everything. I think because it focuses more on a few personal stories it makes it easier to understand. I hope it’s clear what I’m trying to say

The dancing camera stand makes a sneak appearance in the end, hooray! Thank you, that always makes me giggle. My first experience with Come From Away was the proshot, I'd heard it was coming and decided to wait. Super glad I did, too. I remember getting to the end of the show and starting right back over. Tears flowed that day, let me tell you. What I like most about this show is that it's NOT a story about 9/11. It's a story about human perseverance and kindness, no matter the circumstances. Or maybe especially in those instances where the need is greatest. We are here, and we are here together, in a way. The fact that scenes like Screech In or half of 28 Hours are just pure party vibes isn't half bad, either :D

I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to see someone else who loves this show as much as I do! It's so underrated! I hope this filmed version will help change that

Seen this show four times on the West End but on closing night was definitely a whole other experience...

Adore this musical, one of my favourite I’ve ever seen, I’ve managed to watch it 4 times in the West End and I really want to catch it one more time before it closes in January 🥰

They do curse on the show. Not incessantly but it is used well. I do think it is a shame to censor it. Human beings realizing they are, say, stuck on a plane in a strange place, or on the flipside that they are going to be responsible for 7000 displaced people are not going to say "Figs" "Frick" or "Holy Moly!" Or whatever. They are going to say "fuck!" They are going to say "holy shit!" I feel that using other "less offensive" words in those places would take me out of the show. And I love Come From Away, as does my spouse.

An ugly stick is absolutely a traditional Maritimes instrument! I don't live anywhere near there myself, but we had one at my high school we played when we were singing shanties from Newfoundland in choir class! They're quite fun!

I remember 9-11 very vividly. I live in New Brunswick and I was in first grade and my dad actually was born in Gander and so he did have people who he knew there but we found out afterwards about all of this and heard stories from from his his friends. I remember that day so well because my dad was flying and all I remember is being very confused and scared but also my little sister had gymnastics class that night in a school through your homeschooled and the school that we went to for her gymnastics class had this big math in the hallway so my mom was able to like explain to us that my dad was nowhere near what happened because he had gone earlier in the in the morning so he was already in Europe by the time this happened and I remember her going through like this is where his playing stopped this is where it stopped and then here. I remember when my dad's friends from Gander came to visit later on in the year that we were told all of these stories about we were told about the chimpanzee and I remember this because it was like such a weird thing and I remember I don't have a lot of memories of the stories but the chimpanzee stand up like that you don't forget that as a kid who loves monkeys.

This restores my faith in humanity

Just to be clear, the honorary Newfoundlander ceremony is a real thing that has been around for a very long time. It’s called being screeched in. Also the ugly stick is a real instrument that is played at the bars.

I love this show, it's such an emotional roller coaster! Just watching your reaction had me laughing and crying already haha. Thanks for reviewing it!

Im so happy you watched this ProShot! One of the best proshots I've seen

Part of why "me and the sky" doesn't feel like it fits is that the staff on the planes were actually kept somewhere else. they were kept in actual hotels while everybody else was in crisis centres and schools and churches. While the crews from the plans probably did have interactions with everybody else but at the same time they were in hotels and stuff they put all the crew in hotels because they were the people who needed to be very well-rested once they could leave right so it came down to part that and part they also probably have the fear of how do I move forward doing this job if this is something I have to worry about now.

Yes the ugly stick is 100% really and I have been at dances/a party with them (I am from Newfoundland). Actually over 90% of the things in this show really happened.

Oh my god I can't wait to watch this! I haven't seen the proshot yet but I adore Come From Away and am sure your reaction will be amazing, and really want to see the proshot!

One of my favorite shows! I saw it on tour in the U.S. before the ProShot was released; thoroughly enjoyed both! The lyric from "Prayer" is actually "To be understood *as* to understand." The hymn is based on the Prayer of St. Francis (which sometimes is translated with slightly different words -- "instrument" instead of "channel," "reap" instead of "bring").

I wasn’t aware there was a ProShot of this until I saw your video in my feed. I had to go watch it right before coming back here. (And I had to prepare myself to cry through the whole thing.) I loved their use of whip pans between characters; it’s just not something you usually see in relation to theater. It’s so good!

this was my first time listening to it. thank you again for opening my horizons to new musicals

I saw it on B'way twice, the second time in the front row! It's got the most emotional ups and downs and ups and downs and ups of any of the couple of dozen shows I've seen in person. I still laugh and cry and laugh and cry and stomp my feet to Screech Out every time I listen to the soundtrack video.

As a Newfoundlander living in Spain…. 🙏🏼 Thank you.

One thing I love about the Walmart checkout person inviting a stranger back to their home to get a shower is that Jim and Emily Walton are "Uncle and Niece. It makes a line that can be a little suggestive and makes it definitively innocent

I literally cry every time I listen to Come from Away, its just incredible.

I don't know of the show you've seen but I saw it on the west end in December of 2019 and they did have a revolving stage so it's not just for the pro shot.

Great review by the way, thanks

Amazing! So much! Amazing!!!

I LOVE THIS! I get to see this live soon and I'm so excited! On another note, you should really listen to The Mad Ones, it's one of my favorites. It's not very well known but does have a cast album. It's so good, but very painful, so prepare. Love your stuff, see you next time!💙

WELCOME TO THE ROCK IF YOU COME FROM AWAY!

honestly i dont understand how the actors perform this show without crying hahahaha i lose composure EVERY TIME

When you say, “why would you do that?” Do you mean when the pilot’s voice breaks? I believe that was deliberate, as she explained in an interview, she only cried when she finally got off the plane.

Totally agree with you on the ‘Nick’. Thought he was brilliant.

You watched something with Jenn Colella in, which I’m using as a very thinly veiled excuse to recommend If/Then! It’s a little hard to follow the plot without having a glance at a synopsis first to get the premise, and through some plot weirdness Idina Menzel ends up playing the two main characters so it’s a little easier to follow if you have lyrics up to know who she’s playing for which sections, but it’s a really beautiful show!

If you like the story of Gander, you should watch the documentary about the story of Come From Away. You get a lot more stories, and meet the real people from Gander

Oooh I love this musical, thanks for reacting/reviewing! Sidenote, please consider reacting to Billy Elliot in the future!

Please, please react to Spongebob the musical. Pleaaasee.

Omg, please react to Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix. I just watched it and it is amazing. The songs are incredible and you will just love it.

I want to thank you. I have heard about this show but never got into it. But after this video it inspired me to give it a try and damn it was fantastic it made me cry. As a Christian its really cool to see that a show actually comments about God in a positive light unlike most musicals. ITs been so cool to watch your videos and your comments are freaking hilarious. I know it sounds weird but I think Spongebob musical is right up your ally of heartwarming and humourous. Again thx or be great

YES YES YES YES YES!!!! BEAUTFUL SHOW!!! Also i already suggested this but listen to 35mm. Amazing songs

You should watch the pro-shot of Falsettos

Can your next reaction be Rent? The movie and proshot of it are on Amazon Prime

YAHHHH love it, debating getting a sub, I need to practice financial control Also PLS DO EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, movie review

Hi Barbara, really love your channel! I'm thinking, maybe you could react to some Sondheim's work in the coming weeks as a tribute to him? I see that into the woods and sweeney todd are already in your list, I think Sunday in the park with george is definitely worth a watch too, for how relevant it is to his artistry and to the theatre community now. however it has a strong visual and stage component, so I hope you'll consider the proshot version. just a suggestion!

Could you react to the original cast recording of Ordinary Days? It's my favorite musical! You'll see why I suggest it with this musical. I'm sure you'll love it! 😊

i don't know if you take requests, but if you do please do the spongebob broadway musical!! it's really good and i'd love to see what you think about it!!

Please watch Alice by Heart!!!

I hope you can do a react, or something else, on Stephen Sondheim at some point :)

Requests for Chicago if u haven’t alr listened to it 🤚🤚🤚