London’s Time Out praised “Come From Away” as “a miraculous masterpiece.” The musical presented by Maui OnStage will open at the Historic Iao Theater on the Fourth of July. Courtesy photo

The Tony Award-winning hit musical, “Come From Away,” based on the tumultuous day on Sept. 11, 2001, when U.S. airspace was closed and 38 planes were diverted to a small Newfoundland town, will open at the Historic Iao Theater on July 4.

Presented by Maui OnStage, the production will mark the first time a non-professional company in the U.S. has been granted permission to stage it.

“We’re going to be the first non-professional production in the country,” said Kalani Whitford, the show’s director. “In America, it’s only been done on Broadway and then the national tour. So it’s amazing. It was a huge step for us. Everyone is just grateful we got the early rights.”

Praised by The Washington Post as “an antidote for what ails the American soul” and by London’s Time Out as “a miraculous masterpiece,” the musical explores the remarkable kindness, generosity and compassion of Canada’s Newfoundlanders toward the stranded passengers, and the friendships that formed in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

A marvelous story about humanity, resilience and the power of human connection in the face of adversity, “it’s so touching, and it’s sad, but it’s also very uplifting,” said Whitford. “To me, the story is about friendship and how these people took care of these strangers when they really needed help.”

On 9/11, 38 airplanes with around 6,600 passengers — and 19 animals — from 100 countries were diverted to Gander, doubling the Canadian town’s population. The Gander townspeople sprang into action to prepare to house and feed for five days the new arrivals, who were initially forbidden from leaving the planes.

It was one of the locations in what became known as Canada’s Operation Yellow Ribbon, which aimed to divert as much air traffic out of the United States as possible to help minimize the possible loss of life that could occur from aircraft being used as weapons.

More than 220 aircraft were diverted to 17 different airports, with planes entering Canadian airspace at a rate of one to two planes per minute.

Norman Mineta, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, reported at a White House news briefing that “we owe our Canadian neighbors a debt of gratitude for helping us.” On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, President Barack Obama recalled Canada’s help on that day and expressed his gratitude for Canada’s friendship and solidarity.

Aided by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, the husband-and-wife team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein were so inspired by the remarkable events in Gander that they created the feel-good musical, “Come From Away,” with a cast of 12 actors playing multiple roles.

“It’s just a dream cast,” said Whitford. “Half the people have been acting on stage before and the other half are new, which is wonderful. And we have an understudy cast, which they will get to go on. The understudies will get two guaranteed performances because we just felt that’s a lot to ask people to be there basically every rehearsal and then not get to go on unless someone gets injured or sick.”

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Some of the cast of “Come From Away,” a musical that features how the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, took in dozens of planes full of passengers on Sept. 11, 2001. Courtesy photo

Throughout the show, the stage setting will reflect various locations.

“This show is very complicated and fast moving,” he explained. “The set is very simple, but there’s 14 chairs and three tables and they get used and in different locations. One scene they’re on the plane and then another scene they’re in a bar, and another they’re at someone’s house. So the chairs are constantly being moved into all these different configurations.”

With music direction by Vania Jerome, the show will feature a live 8-piece band. “It’s beautiful music,” he said. “The opening song, ‘Welcome to the Rock’ is a beautiful song. The music was all inspired by this Newfoundland instrument, the bodhran. It’s basically a drum. So the music is very drum based and propulsive.”

To mark the first anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2002, about 2,500 people gathered at Gander International Airport for Canada’s memorial service. Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced: “9/11 will live long in memory as a day of terror and grief. But thanks to the countless acts of kindness and compassion done for those stranded visitors here in Gander and right across Canada it will live forever in memory as a day of comfort and of healing.”

“For us, it was just every day,” Gander resident Janice Goudie told a local newspaper reporter. “You don’t turn your backs on people in need.”

Reflecting on the impact of the Maui production, Whitford noted, “it’s about friendship to me and I hope people will look at their friends and family in a new way. We’ve moved forward as a people — as a country, we’re better.”

“Come From Away” opens at the Historic Iao Theater on July 4. It is presented Friday through Sunday until July 27 with Friday shows at 7:30 p.m. and at 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays Tickets range from $25 to $45 at www.MauiOnStage.com.