Let’s start with a summary of Come From Away – this is a theatre show about a small town on the coast of Canada, that when disaster shook the world on September 11th 2001, offered accommodation to over 7,000 passengers whose flights had been diverted due to the American airspace being closed.
On the surface, you wouldn’t read the above summary of events and think ‘Let’s turn that cheery story into a musical’ but you simply have to believe me when I tell you that it just works.
Come From Away isn’t a story about disaster or tragedy (although both do feature heavily for obvious reasons) – it’s a story about community, hope and how when faced with the toughest of circumstances people are capable of extraordinary things.
The show opens in the unsuspecting town of Gander, Canada on the morning of 9/11. Gander was once home to the world’s largest airport, in a time gone by, when planes used to have to stop immediately after crossing the Atlantic.
This meant that Gander was the first place in North America that people such as The Beatles or even The Queen, ever landed. However, as we begin our story, Gander is now a small town with a population of about 11,000 and a derelict Airport, barely fit for purpose.
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These circumstances changed very quickly when at 8:46am on September 11th 2001, a terrorist attack was committed on the World Trade Centre, New York. With the US airspace immediately closed, with all airborne planes now suspected to be terrorist weapons, all flights crossing the Atlantic had to be diverted to the nearest Canadian airport… Gander.
Come From Away at The Lowry – a 9/11 musical full of heart and hope
This creates a scenario whereby within minutes a quiet unassuming town on the coast of Canada is expected to welcome over 7000 passengers from 38 different flights, without warning, without proper preparation and without any indication as to how long they’ll be staying.
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When this tale is brought to life, it’s one that will bring you to tears. I have never in my life cried so much at a musical, which I know might not sound like the most resounding endorsement but it’s truly meant to be. There were of course sad tears, heartbreaking tears and sorrowful tears but there were also tears of joy, tears of quiet happiness and tears of hope.
When you think of the horrific events of 9/11, your thoughts immediately turn to the epicentre, to New York. I’d never considered the wider implications of that day, how thousands of people flying must have had their lives turned upside down, how panicked loved ones all across the world must have been, how communities globally were affected and how a small town in a completely different country was called into action.
I don’t want to give too much away in regards to the actual characters within this story or how their journeys play out through what must of been an incredibly tough time, but what I will say is that the characters in this story, all of whom are directly based on real people (more on that later), are some of the most inspirational human beings I’ve ever come across.
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Come From Away is at The Lowry until 5 January
The show stars an extraordinary ensemble performance, with no leads or ‘main characters’, instead each of the twelve actors play a multitude of characters, whose stories inevitably intertwine with one and others.
The staging and choreography for this show are also fantastic, very minimalist with the set mainly being made up of just chairs and small props, leading the audience to use their imaginations to fill in blanks.
I sadly can’t guarantee this at every performance of Come From Away but at the curtain call the night we watched, the real residents of Gander from whom the story is based on, came onto stage and gave a speech about how ‘none of them are heroes but instead just people who decided to do the right thing’… Which inevitably led to more tears from me and an even deeper appreciation of the show.
I think this story is truly needed in the world we’re living in at the moment, with global tensions high, an economy that doesn’t favour most of us, and a lot of the world feeling more separated than ever before. This story, this beautiful, heartwarming and inspirational story shows us how even through the toughest of circumstances, we can work together for the betterment of everyone.
Please go and watch Come From Away. It’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve seen brought to the stage and it deserves endless support from us Mancs whilst here in Salford.
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It’s running throughout the festive season till 5 January and I guarantee you’ll walk away from it feeling just that little bit more hopeful about the world we live in.
Audience members ejected from Dolly Parton musical in Manchester due to homophobic heckling
Daisy Jackson
The Manchester run of Here You Come Again, a new Dolly Parton musical comedy, has been repeatedly disrupted by vile homophobic heckling from the audience, its star has revealed.
Actor and West End star Steven Webb shared a video addressing the issue on TikTok, saying that audience members had to be ejected from the Manchester Opera House.
The star of the lively new musical, which tells the story of a diehard Dolly Parton fan and is packed with the country star’s biggest hits, said the cast had faced an ‘insane’ amount of homophobia.
Steven said they once had to do a full show stop in Manchester and leave the stage after one audience member was ‘disgusted that there was a gay character on stage’ and began shouting mid-show, causing ‘a ruckus’ in the audience.
He said: “It’s a Dolly Parton musical, it’s gonna be a little bit gay, obviously.”
Steven also said: “Travelling the country and seeing how many people literally cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, it’s wild. I feel very sorry for them.”
The Manchester Opera House stressed that it has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to ‘bullying, harassment, or any form of abusive behaviour towards our cast, crew, or staff’.
The theatre, and its sister venue the Palace Theatre, said: “Our theatre team is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone – both on and off the stage.
“Whilst these incidents are rare, we have a zero-tolerance policy to bullying, harassment, or any form of abusive behaviour towards our cast, crew, or staff. Anyone engaging in such conduct will be removed from the venue immediately.
Actor Steven Webb stars in Here You Come Again, a Dolly Parton musical, in Manchester. Credit: TikTok, @thatsteviewebb
“Thank you to all our theatre goers who continue to act with respect and kindness towards others.”
Steven said in his video: “The amount of audience members we have had to eject from our show due to homophobia is… insane. It is insane.
“Just this week in Manchester alone, last night we had to eject someone who was shouting out slurs, and on Wednesday we had to stop the whole show.
“We had to do an entire show stop and leave the stage, because a woman was so disgusted that there was a gay character on stage, and she was shouting out and then all the audience started shouting at her and then there was a sort of massive ruckus. So she eventually was ejected and we could start again, but we were stopped for 15 or 20 minutes.
“It’s crazy. It’s happening nearly every single week and it blows my mind. This is a Dolly Parton musical, first of all.
“It’s a Dolly Parton musical, it’s gonna be a little bit gay, obviously.
“It’s really opened my eyes, because we’re in such a bubble in this industry. But travelling the country and seeing how many people literally cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, it’s wild. I feel very sorry for them.”
Major Manchester theatre show issues casting call for a DOG to star on stage
Thomas Melia
One of the world’s most famous theatre shows is coming back to Manchester, and they’ve opened a casting call in search of the ‘canine equivalent of Brad Pitt’.
The unusual casting call is seeking a ‘dog with star quality’ to star in La Bohème when it returns to the Manchester Opera House on 21 February.
Dorothy has Toto, Annie’s got Sandy and now another show is in search of a four legged companion who wouldn’t mind being in the spotlight.
La Bohème is coming to Manchester at the end of this month and as well as bringing in theatregoers to fill up all the seats, they’re also looking for one prized pooch to take centre stage.
This Italian opera, which translates to ‘The Bohemian’, tells the tale of a poor seamstress and her artist friends with all the events taking place in the city of love, Paris.
As with most casting calls there are a few regulations however the trickiest requirement may be the owner’s involvement in the production.
Your four legged friend could be the next doggy diva gracing the Manchester Opera House stage.Your pooch could be on set day-dreaming of Hollywood… or doggy treats? Credit: Supplied
Dogs are asked to be small to medium sized and very well behaved, while owners have to go on stage in costume as part of the background ensemble – get those jazz hands ready!
Award-winning opera director and producer Ellen Kent said: “People say never work with children or animals but I love to do both.
“The first time was 20 years ago when my pet cat Holly Go-Lightly was in one of my productions and was an instant hit. Since then, we’ve had horses, dogs, goldfish and even a golden eagle with a 6ft wingspan on stage.
“When we last did La Bohème in 2023 we asked local people to volunteer their pets – it was a huge success. We even used a rescue dog once and found him dozens of new owners!
“We’re a nation of animal lovers after all. I’m sure there is plenty of doggie talent out there.”
She’s also helped source a water garden in Madam Butterfly, a horse for Carmen and a pair of Afghan Hounds which featured in Rigoletto.
So there’s no better fit for this current casting call which entails finding a drama-loving doggy for La Bohème than Ellen Kent.
La Bohème is looking for an all-star pooch for their upcoming February production.La Bohème is coming to Manchester at the end of this month at Manchester Opera House.Credit: Supplied
Anyone who thinks their pup is the perfect fit for this upcoming production of La Bohème are requested to email [email protected] with photographs of your dog, including your contact number and address as well as the breed, height, weight, age and name of your dog. The show will contact you if you are successful.
La Bohème is making its grand return to Manchester Opera House on 21 February 2025 with tickets for the show available HERE.
Oli Lowe -
9th December 2024 
