Three years after it announced it was heading to the capital Come From Away opened at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday.
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The musical, which tells the story of how 7000 people became stranded in a remote Canadian town, was postponed twice due to COVID.
But opening night was a chance for Canberrans to see Come From Away was worth the wait.
Inspired by true events, Come From Away details how the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland - home to 9000 people - almost doubled in size as a result of September 11. After the planes hit the Twin Towers, United States air space was shut, and 38 international flights filled with "come from aways" were diverted to Gander International Airport.
"You hear these stories, and they may make headlines and make the newspapers ... but these people were not just numbers," Come From Away actor Kyle Brown said.
"There were 7000 people on a plane, but they have names, and they have stories, and they have relationships that were formed. And it was really like a life-changing event.
"So bringing it down to that human level is what enables us to connect with this show.
"This musical has really highlighted so many of these personal stories and the relationships that were built. That side of the story has really been showcased."
The musical is made up of a cast of 12, all playing multiple characters, in a bid to represent as many of the 16,000 personal stories that happened in this small town after September 11.
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For example, Brown plays Bob, an untrusting New Yorker, and "others" - a role he has played since first joining Come From Away's Toronto company a few years ago. The Canadian actor joined the Australian company last year when it returned to the stage post-COVID.
"Being Canadian, I was familiar with the story before the show. I was familiar, but I don't think the nuances of the story... I didn't know everyone's personal details, as we've learned throughout this musical being written," Brown said.
"But it's strange to have a Canadian story musical that's so well received around the world like this. And I think it's because it's not just a Canadian story or an American story, it's universal.
"The events of 9/11 affected the entire world. But beyond that, the story is about very human things, emotions, feelings, and very human scenarios that can apply to beyond this incident. Any sort of crisis, any sort of moment of hardship, and having to rely on other people, we can all relate to. So it's really cool to see it brought about the world."
Come From Away is at Canberra Theatre until July 9. For tickets go to canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
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