COME FROM AWAY Closes Permanently in Toronto

The most successful Canadian musical of all time has permanently closed in its hometown. After playing for 855 performances, the Toronto production of Come From Away ended its run on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

The production had just had its reopening, following a 21-month pandemic hiatus, just a week earlier on December 15. Greeted with a rousing standing ovation before an actor had even had a chance to speak a single word, the cast responded to the capacity crowd by applauding it in return. The rest of that performance - which included several more standing ovations mid-performance - looked to herald a triumphant return.

But it wasn't to be. In only seven days the Omicron variant drew the curtain on this production in Toronto.

David Mirvish explains: "Despite our best efforts, within a week of reopening an outbreak in the backstage company forced us to cancel four performances, with the hope that we would resume on December 28.

"But during this short break, it became bluntly apparent that it would be impossible to continue when this incredibly contagious variant has sent case numbers soaring.

"In other parts of the world, the government has stepped up to support the commercial theatre sector by offering a financial safety net for the sector to reopen and play during the pandemic, thus protecting the tens of thousands of good jobs the sector creates. That is the case in the US, the UK and Australia - where productions of Come From Away continue to play: in the US on Broadway and on tour, in London's West End in the UK, and in Sydney, Australia.

"But in Canada there is no such government support. And without such a safety net it is impossible for the production to take yet another extended hiatus. The costs of reopening a second time are prohibitively high and risky.

"I know this news is shocking, and it causes me and our partners great pain to have to take this action, but we are simply out of options. The most responsible way forward is to close the production.

"This is not the way any of us wanted this to end. Come From Away deserves to have had many more years at the Royal Alex. But the risks, uncertainty and financial situation have left us without another realistic outcome.

"We remain very proud of the all-Canadian company that has delighted more than one million audience members in Toronto. What a special and glorious show this has been, a shining star in the history of Canada's oldest and most storied theatres. It's a show for the history books. The reopening night of December 15 alone, is one I will always remember, as will everyone who was there."

Ticket-holders of the cancelled performances will be contacted and will be offer a transfer the value of their tickets to account credits or gift cards or ask for a refund.

Come From Away Toronto - By the Numbers:

* More than one million patrons have seen the show during its run, February 13, 2018 to March 13, 2020 and December 15 to 22, 2021, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

• Box office sales surpassed of $115,000,000, including over $15,000,000 in HST

• Estimated economic impact to the Toronto economy of $920,000,000

• The show created 9,000 employment weeks for cast, stage managers, musicians, crew members and front of house team members.

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