When the Muny produced 鈥淟es Miserables鈥 in 2024, Seth Sklar-Heyn made his directorial debut at the century-old outdoor theater.
鈥淭hat was my first experience here, and it was almost 80 people in the cast, and we staged a three-hour musical in six days,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 great. Let鈥檚 do it again.鈥欌
Mike Isaacson, artistic director and executive producer for the Muny, agreed and invited Sklar-Heyn back this season, asking the director what show he wanted to do. Sklar-Heyn picked a show that couldn鈥檛 be more different from 鈥淟es Miz鈥: 鈥淐ome From Away,鈥 which will run from June 26 to July 2.
The company of the Muny production of "Come From Away." Photo by The Muny | Emily Santel
鈥淚t鈥檚 not 80 people, but 12,鈥 Sklar-Heyn says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e added eight teenagers from the (Muny) teen program, so we鈥檝e got 20 people on stage. And it鈥檚 much shorter.鈥
鈥淐ome From Away鈥 is an intimate show about big topics. A small town in Canada called Gander is on the receiving end of 38 diverted planes after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Around 7,000 surprise guests (and 19 animals) land in a town that is not equipped to handle that many visitors.
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Locals spring into action to accommodate the guests and help them make sense of the tragedy that is unfolding in the U.S.
Director Seth Sklar-Heyn leads a rehearsal of "Come From Away."
Each member of the original 12-person cast plays multiple roles, and the original musical, which made its Broadway debut in 2017, mostly accomplished its storytelling with a simple set and a few chairs.
鈥淚 really loved the challenge of tackling a massive show last year and then coming back and trying to do something much, much more intimate,鈥 Sklar-Heyn says. He wanted to focus on 鈥渁 story that鈥檚 very human and the scale of the storytelling itself is much more contained and focused.鈥
But the Muny stage is huge and the theater has 11,000 seats; subtlety is not a language it speaks well. Sklar-Heyn has had to make adjustments.
鈥淰ideo is going to play a role in the production,鈥 he says. 鈥淓specially on that backdrop screen.鈥 The audience will be transported to Gander through an image of a vista and a set design that includes two-story panels that 鈥渁ct as portals around the stage.鈥
Lighting and a turntable that Sklar-Heyn used in last season鈥檚 鈥淟es Miz鈥 will also help move from scene to scene. (鈥淐ome From Away鈥 is exceptionally fluid, moving between scenes without breaks.)
Sklar-Heyn was in New York during 9/11, working on his first Broadway show, 鈥淭hou Shalt Not.鈥 At the time, he was still a student in college in upstate New York and was in class on the day of the attacks, but came into the city as soon as the trains started running again.
From left: Zoe Vonder Haar, Jacob Keith Watson and Jason Tam in the Muny production of "Come From Away." Photo by Phillip Hamer
鈥淓very night, people would gather outside the theaters at a certain time, and there were just these moments where people would play taps or things on other instruments,鈥 he says. 鈥淭here was a unifying pride that 鈥 especially in New York City 鈥 was front of mind for everyone. I just wanted to go to a Yankees game. I just wanted to be in these big communal spaces with other New Yorkers.鈥
That communal feeling that suffused much of the country after 9/11 is captured in 鈥淐ome From Away.鈥
Sklar-Heyn says that the timing for the show is right for 最新杏吧原创.
鈥淛ust seeing the trees that have been upended and everything that鈥檚 the aftermath of the recent storms here, I just think there鈥檚 going to be an underlying current of people in 最新杏吧原创 thinking about how the community rallies together after difficult events take place.鈥
鈥淐ome From Away鈥 will feature many Broadway veterans, including a Drama Desk Award winner and Grammy winner.
Zoe Vonder Haar (left) and Heidi Blickenstaff in the Muny production of "Come From Away." Photo by Phillip Hamer
John Bolton, who was in three Tony Award-winning musicals on Broadway will play Nick and others, and Andrea Burns, who won the Drama Desk Award for playing Daniela in 鈥淚n The Heights鈥 on Broadway will play Bonnie and others.
Alan H. Green (鈥淐harlie and the Chocolate Factory,鈥 鈥淪chool of Rock鈥), Ashley Brown (鈥淢ary Poppins鈥) and Grammy Award鈥搘inning singer Tamika Lawrence round out the powerhouse cast.
鈥淲hen people get the phone call from (Muny) casting, they say yes,鈥 Sklar-Heyn says. 鈥淪o I have this unbelievable Broadway company. They are the cream of the crop.鈥
They have a big job: To scale up an intimate production so it fits on the Muny stage but doesn鈥檛 lose its feeling of intimacy. And they have just a week to do it. But Sklar-Heyn isn鈥檛 worried.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see the Muny audiences lean in.鈥
