Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Stork's production is a very solid staging, hampered a tad by the size of the Paramount Theatre, but deftly cast with performers like Andrea Prestinario. She's terrific as the American Airlines pilot who gets the one great musical number in the show; it's good to see her back performing in Chicago for the first time in years. But then the entire cast, including the likes of Ron E. Rains, Susie McMonagle, Michelle Duffy and Sarah Reinecke, all are warm and funny, and there is moving work from Adam Qutaishat, playing a passenger who has to overcome the suspicions prevalent at that time."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Composer/lyricists Irene Sankoff and David Hein have penned a musical with a pleasing score and a feel-good story that truly celebrates the power of compassion and fundamental human decency. And while that sounds dangerously close to inspirational-poster pablum, director Trent Stork makes Paramount's production feel real and raw and sound glorious."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...The Tony Award-winning musical by composer/lyricist/writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein is a tonic for troubled times whose emotionally resonant regional premiere at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre — directed with great heart and humor by Trent Stork — is an uplifting piece of theater that restores, however briefly, one’s faith in humanity."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Come From Away, the 2017 Tony-nominated musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, captures a specific time and place: Gander, Newfoundland, in the days immediately after 9/11, when the small town with a mostly disused airport (a relic from the time before jets could get across the Atlantic without refueling) became home to thousands of travelers grounded in the wake of the attacks. It's now in a stirring and soulful Chicago regional premiere directed by Trent Stork at Paramount Theatre in Aurora."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...I am sure you have heard the term "Ensemble Piece". The term refers to a theatrical production that truly has no actual starring role, or for that matter, a role that stands out. It is a show about content and story, I am also pretty sure that when you hear "9/11", you think of that day in our history, back in 2001 when our world changed and the United States was attacked. The musical story, "Come From Away", now brilliantly performed on the stage of the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, combines both of these references."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This musical is simply wonderful. It's the perfect anecdote to all the frustration, pain and negativity that's been bombarding us, especially within the past several months. What with political battles that continue to rage on, an unbalanced economy, immigrants being rounded up and sent back to their hostile homelands, two brutal wars raging in Europe and the Middle East and the horrendous effects of climate change, here's a great way to escape for a few hours and find a reason to hope. The show is a rousing and joyful celebration of the kindness, compassion and generosity that lies within each of us. Please, do yourself a favor and treat your soul to this polished, professionally-produced production at Paramount Theatre. COME FROM AWAY is a life-changing experience that's guaranteed to make you look at the world in a completely different way. So let this production bid you, "Welcome to the Rock.""
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...As I dabbed my eyes for at least the third—and not the last—time during Paramount Theatre’s production of Come From Away, I glanced around and saw the same gesture repeated all over the audience. Hands rose to eyes, women and men alike. Together, we were being pulled into a common bond of shared tragedy and compassionate hope. Come From Away touched me, and it seemed to touch most people in the theatre, on a level rarely reached—even in a place as magical as live theatre."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...The 90-minute musical (no intermission) is masterfully directed by the multiple Jeff Award-winning Trent Stork, and joins a prestigious string of hits-27 in all-of outstanding Paramount productions including "Cats," "Frozen," "Kinky Boots," and "School of Rock" among others. Stork has assembled a clever and creative production team including choreographer Kasey Alfonso, scenic designer Milo Bue, costume designer Izumi Inaba, lighting designer Greg Hoffman, sound designer Adam Rosenthal, projections Mike Tutaj, wigs hair and makeup designer Katie Cordts and dialect coach Susan Gosdick. Stage manager Amber R. Dettmers keeps the well-paced show running smoothly."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Helmed by skilled director Richard J. Hinds – a multi-tasker who also doubles as choreographer – the stand-out actors portray multiple roles as the saga unfolds. Kudos to a great ensemble cast who manage to transition repeatedly from Ganderites to Awayites – an exercise in accents and word flow."
BroadwayWorld
- Highly Recommended
"...Come From Away was one of the first Broadway shows to reopen after the pandemic. Under the direction of Jeff Award-winning Trent Stork, this story of strangers being welcomed under circumstances no one could have imagined, shows us the world as it used to be. The passengers came from all over the world: different languages, different faiths, different skin colors - even animals received loving care."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...The production faces the challenge of making a quaint, quiet town feel exciting and animated, which it does in spades. In the opening musical number, "Welcome to the Rock," we get a glimpse into the lives of Newfoundlanders. Backed by a live band playing acoustic instruments, the residents dance and sing about combating extremely cold weather, surviving turbulent seas and settling domestic disputes. The gruff-voiced mayor, Claude (Russell Konstans), sings, "They say no man's an island, but an island makes a man," and as the planes descend into the local airport, the gathered townsfolk erupt in a prescient greeting: "Welcome to the Rock!" Director Trent Stork and associate choreographer Alley Ellis bring this small town to life by filling each scene with constant movement."
