Review – Come From Away at Paper Mill Playhouse: A Must See!

By Joely DeMonte

Telling the true story of the thousands of airline passengers diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, Come From Away is a musical about the unexpected kindness and resilience that can emerge in moments of crisis. Paper Mill Playhouse’s production captures this spirit with intimacy and warmth, highlighting the ways strangers come together to support one another. From quiet gestures to shared songs, the performance emphasizes human connection over spectacle, reminding audiences that compassion often arrives in small, human acts.

MILLBURN, NJ. David Socolar, Jason Tyler Smith, Andréa Burns, and Kent M. Lewis. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel.

Many theatergoers may already know Come From Away through its five-year Broadway run or the pro-shot recording on Apple TV. While those versions remain powerful introductions, Paper Mill’s production makes a compelling case for experiencing the musical live. The reimagined staging adds texture and dimensionality, allowing the story to breathe in new ways without straying from its core intentions.

At the heart of this musical, the ensemble is the production’s greatest strength. As in the original conception, actors play multiple roles while now also performing instruments live onstage, reinforcing the sense of communal storytelling. Under Sam Groisser’s music direction, the folk-style score feels immediate and alive, blurring the line between performer and narrator. Character changes happen in plain sight, yet each role remains distinct. The cast balances humor and heartbreak with precision, allowing levity and grief to coexist naturally.

MILLBURN, NJ. Jason Tyler Smith, Rema Webb, and David
Socolar. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel.

Design elements support the storytelling without calling attention to themselves, while expanding on the show’s original visual language. Whereas Broadway relied on a deliberately minimal set, Paper Mill’s staging adds texture and dimensionality without sacrificing clarity. Nate Bertone’s scenic design remains flexible and efficient, offering a greater sense of place while keeping the story moving. Paige Seber’s lighting subtly tracks emotional shifts, and Michelle J. Li’s costumes facilitate rapid character changes.

One of the musical’s most resonant ideas comes in its repeated insistence that there must be “something to do,” a response born of helplessness rather than heroism. Though depicting events from nearly 25 years ago, the admission that watching the news has become unbearable feels uncannily relevant. When constant exposure numbs rather than informs, Come From Away suggests another response: gather in a theater, listen, and be reminded of what people can do when they choose care over paralysis. It leaves audiences feeling, if not optimistic, then at least a little better about the world, reaffirming theater’s ability to offer refuge, perspective, and connection.

Come From Away at Paper Mill Playhouse stays with you long after the curtain falls, not because it overwhelms, but because it affirms. It leaves you feeling better about the world and reminded of theater’s power to connect us when the news cannot. It is, quite simply, a must-see.

For tickets or more information, visit https://papermill.org.

MILLBURN, NJ. Jeannette Bayardelle, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Lisa Howard, Andréa Burns, Rema Webb, and Erica Spyres. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel.

MILLBURN, NJ. Lisa Howard (center) and the Company of Come From Away. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel

MILLBURN, NJ. Andréa Burns, Kent M. Lewis, Jeannette Bayardelle, and the Company of
Come From Away. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel.