Listings: Come From Away

Whetstone Musical Theatre presents a show about a community responding to terrorism at The King Alfred Phoenix Theatre, Golders Green this week

Actors in a rehearsal setting - three standing and one sitting on a chair — The cast rehearse Come From Away – (Credit – Whetstone Musical Theatre)

When the United States closed its airspace on 11th September 2001, 38 passenger jets were ordered to land in Gander, a Newfoundland town of around 9,000 people. Almost overnight, its residents took in nearly 7,000 stranded strangers — feeding, housing and caring for them until the airspace was re-opened. Come From Away is the true, funny and unexpectedly uplifting musical built from their story.

Catherine Raingold, who is producing the show and founded Whetstone Musical Theatre Group in 2015, is mounting a show about a community responding to terrorism with incredible hospitality – and she describes the time we are living in as the most frightening for Jewish life that she can remember.

The group has been directly impacted by the recent terror attacks in North London; some even attend the synagogue that was recently firebombed in Finchley.

A non-Jewish lead performer who lives nearby movingly addressed the company after the attack — an unprompted act of solidarity that, the company says, mirrors the show they are rehearsing.

“It is a show about a community coming together in the face of terrorism, and it could not feel more relevant,” said Catherine Raingold, a social worker who performs in the show as Beulah, a school principal. “The performers come from a range of backgrounds and cultures, and that mix on stage reflects the story we are telling.

Come From Away is funny and full of warmth — it is about ordinary people choosing kindness in the face of terror. I feel that is exactly what we need to be reminded of right now.”

Jon Musker, who plays Gander’s mayor, Claude, added: “The show is about bravery, kindness, and community in the face of terrorism. 25 years on it is clear we are still in a world where those qualities are vitally needed.”

Come From Away runs for one act of around 100 minutes with no interval — a true, funny, and unexpectedly uplifting show filled with great music.

Show: Come From Away

Company: Whetstone Musical Theatre

Venue: The King Alfred Phoenix Theatre, 149 North End Road, Golders Green

Dates: Wednesday 15th – Saturday 18th July 2026, 7:45pm

Tickets: ticketsource.com/whetstonemusicaltheatre

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