Come from Away
The Phoenix Theatre Company, Stephenson Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, February 15, 2026
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
According to the Dramaturgy Notes by Michelle Chin, Come from Away (book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein) was the top-produced musical in American non-profit theater in 2025. Its story is worth telling and retelling, and Phoenix Theatre Company’s production was riveting from start to finish. From the first chords of “Welcome to the Rock” followed by “38 Planes” we are taken back to a time and place in history. The town was Gander in Newfoundland, Canada, population 9,651; the day was September 11, 2001.
Kudos to director Michael Barnard for his casting choices, which included eleven locally based Equity actors, each of whom gave a stellar performance. Yes, they sang and moved as an ensemble just like a Swiss watch, but each actor created a distinctly memorable character. Some were cast as the “plane people,” some as Gander residents, and many as both. Barnard is the producing artistic director of PTC and has been directing musicals for decades. I met him in the late 1970s when I moved to Arizona. He has worked all over, but he stayed in Arizona and built the Phoenix Theatre Company into a serious regional venue that workshops Broadway-bound musicals and wows audiences with productions that rival anything on the Great White Way.
Photo by Billy Hardiman
Amy Jo Halliday was outstanding as Beverly, American Airlines’ first female pilot. Her voice soared as though she was ‘defying gravity’ on “Me and the Sky.” I found myself leaning in every time it was her turn to share the story. Chanel Bragg is an Arizona treasure. Her résumé is extensive both as a director and a singer/actor, and American Theatre Magazine named her among the 10 Rising Black Women to Watch in the American Theatre. Her voice was poignant and piercing on “I Am Here.” She was captivating as Hannah, and we cried in the final scene when she called Beulah (brilliantly portrayed by Maria Amorocho) to share the news that her firefighter son had been lost in the 9/11 attacks.
Phoenix is similar to Hollywood in that older actors sometimes are seen less frequently. What a treat it was to enjoy the talents of Sally Jo Bannow and Rusty Ferracane, whose real-life relationship chemistry as friends helped them to portray the budding but ultimately doomed romance of Texan Diane and British businessman Nick. Speaking of couples, Caleb Reese as Kevin T and Levin Valayil as Kevin J developed their stories from start to finish. D. Scott Withers as Mayor Claude (and other characters) turned in a strong performance.
Photo by Brennan Russell
Real-life couple Matravius Avent and Trisha Ditsworth, whom I have seen many times, never cease to amaze with their triple-threat skills. Ditsworth made Bonnie, the Gander ASPCA lady, as adorable as the animals she rescued and fed during the five-day layover. Avent’s acting chops were front and center as he portayed his many characters: a young passenger from the streets of New York who was not used to trusting others, a sleezy Virgin Islands pilot hustling Haliday’s Gander persona Annette, and even his one-liner as Kevin T’s new boyfriend was memorably funny.
The ensemble cast also included Caelan Creaser and EJ Dohring. If I counted correctly, dance captain Jane Bunting was also on stage during the ensemble numbers.
Every voice was clear, strong, and resonant and no lyric went missing. The ensemble and Barnard’s direction were particularly strong in the story’s transitions. This was true when Gander residents invited the passengers to their homes to shower and share a meal and in the Tavern scene where the unbridled joy, despite the stress of the circumstance, was evident from the song and dance to the chance to kiss the fish.
The eight-piece orchestra placed upstage was led by music director Alan J. Plado and it provided perfect accompaniment. The simple but functionally magical set was designed by Robert Kovach.
As director Barnard noted, Come from Away is a story about “small acts of kindness that created a huge ripple of gratitude, hope, and safety” during one of the darkest days in history.
The unspoken hero of the production company may have been dialect coach Kade McCloud. The actors changed characters on a dime, and their speech was critical to letting the audience in on who they were portraying and what just happened.
The production runs through March 29 in the newly remodeled Stephenson Theatre. There is both a main floor and an upper-level entrance, and the bar and lounge on the second level (with a grand piano surrounded by bar stools) is worth the price of a ticket. It was not open on this Sunday afternoon, but I cannot wait to see how PTC might use it.
