As Canada and the U.S. enter a trade war after spending decades as friends, neighbours and allies … I want to tell a story about Canadians helping our neighbours to the South.
Years ago I was asked to go to a Canadian college to see a workshop for a musical about 9/11.
I scoffed. A musical about what? How will that work?
I drove out to the campus during a brutal winter snowstorm. I remember cursing that I was having to deal with a late night white knuckle drive for a musical that made absolutely no sense. Who would want to listen to people sing about that unspeakable tragedy?
I should have had more faith. The writers - an incredible Canadian duo called David Hein & Irene Sankoff - made magic at Sheridan College. Their musical wasn’t really about 9/11, it was about the community of Gander, Newfoundland that welcomed stranded planes on that dark day
It was about the Canadian spirit of opening our hearts and homes to those in need… no matter where they come from, what colour, religion, gender or nationality they are. It was about overcoming odds and helping strangers for no other reason than it was the right thing to do
38 planes carrying 6,579 passengers were diverted to Gander on 9/11. To put things in perspective, Gander is a tiny community of less than 10,000 people. They literally doubled in size overnight.
They could have left the people on the planes. They could have refused them and said it was America’s problem. They could have deflected and blamed as is so popular with the current leader of the U.S. They chose to open their arms and welcome everyone.
The community got together and found ways to feed, clothe and house every passenger and animal that were on those planes They put people up in schools and gymnasiums, guest rooms in their homes and more They turned the hockey rink into a giant walk in fridge for all the food
They rounded up bbqs from everyone’s backyard to have big cookouts for all the new guests. Provided every denomination with a place to pray. Made sure that kids had diapers, toys and a feeling of safety. Comforted animals who weren’t allowed off the planes. They stepped up.
For four days, no one from Gander slept or took a break. They were constantly on the go to ensure that every one of their new arrivals felt safe, protected and welcomed. That’s what the musical was about. The camaraderie and love shown during that unprecedented time
Its name? Come from Away.
It would go on to be a Tony Award winning Broadway musical with successful productions all over the Globe. Its message of kindness, inclusion and hope inspired people to be more welcoming of those who are different than them
It was one of the greatest honours of my life to be one of the first journalists to write about that extraordinary musical. To be able to meet many of the people from Gander and from the planes who allowed their stories to be told.
I’ve always loved being a Canadian, but sitting in that small theatre on a snowy winters night … I was overwhelmed with pride & hope for our future The people of Gander showed us what it truly means to be a neighbour, and we need to hold onto that spirit in these dark times
I don’t know what comes next, but I know Canadians will rise to the challenge. We will continue to extend a hand in friendship to our American neighbours. We know most of you don’t want this either. We will stand proud and remain true to our values always. We will overcome
If you want to watch it, the Broadway production was filmed for streaming on AppleTV and it’s beautifully done. “Tonight we honour what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found.”
https://youtu.be/Af77C4zUkjs?si=I5f3ulk3YVQ44bzk
[#]uspoli #canpoli #tariffs #canadian #comefromaway
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@broadwaybabyto wow, thanks for sharing this. I'm always happy to learn of a musical I'm not familiar with.
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@broadwaybabyto it’s a brilliant musical ❤️
You are indeed lucky to have had that experience.
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@broadwaybabyto hello friend
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@broadwaybabyto
If Americans were half as decent as Canadians, we would never have gotten a Trump, not on TV let alone in the White House.
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@broadwaybabyto
Thank you for your kind words. I read and really enjoyed the book the musical is based on last summer. I checked out the book more out of curiosity and read it in one day. Wasn’t able to see the musical when it was in town. Thanks for mentioning that this is on Apple TV.
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@broadwaybabyto Canada and the US didn’t enter a trade war. The US imposed a trade war on Canada and Mexico.
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@broadwaybabyto SUCH a beautiful show. Way better than Dear Evan Hansen
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from ginawilhelm@mastodon.social
@ginawilhelm I couldn’t agree more!!! Though I despised DEH because I felt the messaging was damaging and being overlooked by catchy tunes.
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@broadwaybabyto That's one of the reasons it's not as good!
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@broadwaybabyto Thank you
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@broadwaybabyto
People all over the world are generally decent... You interject politicians and politics into the mix and it starts to take on a different vibe
25% tariff on Mexico and Canada goods and I bet you will still get Mexican and Canadian Firefighters respond to disasters in the USA 'cos that's what good people do
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@broadwaybabyto I've wanted to see this for years. It's really a shame that it's trapped on Apple TV with no other way for anybody to watch it other than to be in a place that they can see the show at a theatre 😞
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@broadwaybabyto love Canada. 🇨🇦🇦🇺
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from skyfire747@aus.social
@broadwaybabyto they also are apart of our nato, and in fact, helped us create it. why do we have to go to war with canidae man...
I hope this can get resolved soon...
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@broadwaybabyto
I saw Come From Away with the touring cast here in Sacramento a couple years ago. It’s a lovely story, and the production was A+. Highly recommend.
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@broadwaybabyto I remember when I heard about the show in development and I thought that of course the story ought to be a play (I did already know about the planes redirected to Gander that day), but a musical?
A couple of years ago I went to see https://fords.org/performance/come-from-away-in-concert-at-the-lincoln-memorial/ 💛
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@jensilber I had forgotten they played the Lincoln memorial! Thank you for the reminder!
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@broadwaybabyto Thank you, Canada. Never doubt that there are masses of us down here who still want y'all as friends. 🇨🇦💜
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@broadwaybabyto this is so beautiful, this is so beautiful it makes me sad for my friends who don’t use this platform because I can’t really share this with them unless I print it and mail it like olden times.
Please put this in your newsletter. This is such a beautiful story. I remember hearing about that musical. I didn’t hear the actual story of the musical I just remember hearing that someone made a musical about 9/11 and I thought “Ew” and then I never thought about it again.
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@maggiejk I never even thought about putting it in my newsletter but I should! I’m still good friends with the writers and might even be able to get them to add a few comments. Thanks for the idea!
I did unroll it on Bluesky which provides a link you can share with anyone if you want it?
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@broadwaybabyto For an example (however rare) of Americans extending the same kind of grace, see the response to the Halifax explosion, and the equally gracious response of the people of Halifax (https://novascotia.ca/treeforboston/)
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@broadwaybabyto Canadians are really some of the nicest people I've ever met. I've worked with Canadians, I have friends direct from Ontario and Novascotia, and I've had some Canadian snacks but not very much, and so seeing this trade war and having them be mad like this just isn't something I expected to see. Canadians aren't pushovers, and I respect the nation.
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