As the end of the year approaches, Lafayette Theatre Company has closed out their season with their spring musical Come From Away! Come From Away is about the town of Gander, Newfoundland taking care of 7,000 passengers from the planes that were diverted after the attack on September 11th. The people of Gander opened their homes and schools and provided food, entertainment, and necessities for the “Plane People”. This is a heart-warming story about a tragic event that led to people coming together regardless of their differences.
Though Come From Away takes place on 9/11, the show itself is not about 9/11. Many teachers and students at the school were not willing to see the show because it was deemed “insensitive”. The Wednesday before opening night, the cast of Come From Away did a preview of the musical for the school. During 4th block, the first 20 minutes of the show was shown, and this had a very positive impact on ticket sales. The preview changed many people’s perspectives on the show and influenced many students to come to the show.
Opening night was a big success! The crowd was very lively and very engaging for a Thursday night. There were 550 tickets sold out of 750. Mrs. McCorry stated that “this was the best opening night performance in all the 18 years she has worked here” and that is a huge compliment because she does not lie! Friday night was another huge success! It was nerve-wracking to have to top Friday night, but it is live theatre, so no show is the exact same! The crowd gave a standing ovation after the number “Something’s Missing”.
