Traditionally, a theatre production would feature a cast of actors playing one role each. Yes, sometimes an actor will play a second character (as seen in Hamilton, where the same performer portrays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds), and the ensemble typically plays a range of roles depending on the scene. But that’s not the case in the Filipino-led production of Come From Away, the Broadway musical that’s going to be staged this June. The production features 12 actors playing over 80 characters, with at least 13 different accents.
Set in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 airline passengers unexpectedly grounded in Gander, Newfoundland. The extraordinary generosity of the town’s residents highlights the power of kindness and unity in times of crisis. What’s even more special is that the musical portrays the actual townspeople and the passengers who landed in Gander.
Come From Away premiered on Broadway in 2013 and garnered widespread acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling, powerful music, and portrayal of the human spirit during a crisis.
Photo / GMG Productions
Come From Away‘s roster of characters and accents may seem daunting, but the production features what many call the Avengers of Philippine theatre. The Philippine cast includes Cathy Azanza-Dy, Garrett Bolden, Caisa Borromeo, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Mayen Cadd, Steven Cadd, Becca Coates, Rycharde Everley, Topper Fabregas, Sheila Francisco, Carla Guevara Laforteza, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Gian Magdangal, George Schulze, and Chino Veguillas. Their collective achievements have left a mark on the local and international stages.
WheninManila.com recently sat down with Fabregas, Magdangal, Schulze, Azanza-Dy, and Coates to discuss the characters, accents, and challenges of the show.
Shapeshifting into different characters
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The cast may have played dozens of roles in their previous productions, but their resumes would lengthen considerably with Come From Away. Altogether, they will be playing more than 80 characters. Magdangal may face the biggest challenge, as he’ll be playing the most roles, with 12. He plays Oz, Terry, Mr. Michaels, and a host of other characters.
Fabregas plays Kevin J., one-half of a same-sex couple from Los Angeles; Dwight, an airport employee from Gander; Ali, an Egyptian passenger; and a host of others. Schulze, meanwhile, plays Kevin T. (Kevin J.’s boyfriend), Garth, a pilot, a spokesperson, and an air traffic controller.
Azanza-Dy’s main role is Diane, a Southern belle, who then switches between two residents from Gander, and then assumes various other roles, including a staff member of the town mayor. Lastly, Coates’s main role is Janice, the only reporter who was there, and she also plays a flight attendant, multiple other passengers, and townspeople.
How challenging is it playing multiple roles? According to Azanza-Dy, “Sometimes I just made a turn, and then when I come back, I’m a different character already.” Fabregas added, “I switch characters sometimes mid-song.”
Different voices, different sounds
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If you think playing multiple characters is challenging, consider that the actors must use at least 13 different accents in the show.
Schulze said, “You’ll have me doing a Gander accent, a Southern accent, and you’ll have me doing kind of a George Bush. Kevin T. is your standard North American L.A. accent. And then I have a British pilot. With that alone, I’d say at least on my track alone, that’s already five.”
Schulze and Azanza-Dy agree that the Gander accent may be the most difficult of all. According to Schulze, the Gander accent is a combination of three: a North American base, with Canadian and Irish intonations and phonetic shifts.
“It’s a mix simply because when it stayed isolated for so long, I feel like they created their own unique sound. It’s hard to get to Newfoundland, so it wasn’t influenced by all these other languages,” said Azanza-Dy.
Schulze said, “I have one line that always drives me crazy: ‘Every school bus we’ve got is going back and forth all night.’”
He demonstrated his Gander accent, and almost every word sounds different from how a Filipino would pronounce it.
Azanza-Dy shared, “We don’t come across those sounds too often. Let’s say, the Southern accent. There are movies that you can watch, but the Gander accent, we hardly get exposed to media that has that.”
As always, practicing helps. Azanza-Dy said, “Sometimes in daily life, it happens, like when I talk to my husband. It comes out sometimes when I’m talking. And even the others, when they’re ordering coffee, it’ll come out. And we just laugh about it because at least it’s creating new connections in your brain. We’ll be Canadian in the end.”
Working with the best
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GMG Productions, which is producing the Filipino-led version of the show, tapped a dialect coach to help the cast with the accents. This already is a big deal, as it doesn’t happen too often in Philippine theatre, given the cost. Coates said, “I’ve done accents in shows before, and you kind of just go, ‘Let’s see what happens.’ You just do it. So the fact that we had such a valuable resource was already such a big blessing.”
Getting a dialect coach was not enough for GMG. They tapped Joel Goldes, the dialect coach who taught the original Broadway cast of Come From Away. He also works with celebrities, including Viola Davis, Will Ferrell, Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, and Robin Williams.
According to the cast, they each had individual time with Goldes, and then a group session, to learn the accents. Goldes went through all the lines, but Magdangal said it was more than just teaching them how to say it. He said, “It has that very technical approach, which is very refreshing because sometimes you get into a production or a project and they say you have to play this role, and bahala ka na.”
Schulze added, “Before we even met, he already sent us paperwork. Full phonetic lingual guides that show the vocal placement of each accent.”
Coates described Goldes as patient and efficient. She said, “He can immediately address what it is that’s getting in the way of the accent you’re trying to do. He could see with me immediately, like, ‘You sound too Irish. You’re doing too much.’ Joel was so helpful in providing the things that we needed to know to be able to get into that accent.”
Schulze added, “Without a dialect coach, you won’t get it 100% right.”
Getting ready
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Come From Away seems like a demanding show. As Fabregas puts it, Come From Away is a show that is “walang pahinga. We’re on stage for 90 minutes, pretty much the whole time. It’s fun.”
Coates also said, “The set of Come From Away is traditionally done with just chairs. The actors are the ones moving the chairs, the different scenes, and the locations. Our set designer, Kayla Teodoro, honored that because it’s such a trademark of Gander and Newfoundland to just show up somewhere and bring your own chair. It’s like a community thing. And so that’s how the set works in our show.”
Magdangal added, “Matrabaho lang talaga, but to be able to create is part of our job. It’s the fun part: using your voice, body language, and physicality to create and collaborate with other people. Characters come alive because of the people you’re engaged with. It’s not a one-man show. Group work lagi, ensemble piece. It becomes a collaboration because you’re not alone in playing many characters.”
Coates shared, “This show is so built on trust. On one hand, you have to trust yourself. You say, ‘Okay, I practiced this.’ But it’s also about trusting each other. There are many scenes where you have to beeline to a chair, but you’re not the one putting that chair there. Someone else put that chair there for you. I have to trust that when I get there, the chair is going to be there.”
Challenge accepted
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For some actors, the multiple roles and accents may not even be the most challenging aspect of the show.
“Everything is challenging,” revealed Fabregas. “One of the biggest challenges is that it’s so woven together. Everything is timed. It’s an ensemble piece with two solo numbers, and that’s about it. Everything else is all of us. If one person doesn’t arrive at the right time or misses a cue, it affects everyone else.”
Blocking also plays an important role in the show. According to Azanza-Dy, there are 12 chairs, “but it feels like there are a million of them.” The chairs shift to create spaces, like a town hall, a plane, a bus, or two houses.
Schulze expounded, “We were sent videos from the original Broadway cast, and one of the things they kept telling us was, don’t drive yourself crazy with the chairs. And we are seeing firsthand now that we are being driven crazy by the chairs. Moving it within rhythm is so challenging.”
It’s a show that feels like a huge collaborative effort. Magdangal confirms this, saying, “No matter how hard you work on your own, if you’re not with the people you’re working with and being as one with them, it doesn’t work.”
What Filipinos can take away from the show
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What the audience will see is a musical about coming together, and that’s what it takes to create Come From Away. And even if the show is Canadian, Filipinos can still relate to it.
“May mga tao diyan na kagaya ng mga characters na pino-portray namin. Sometimes you see how you are as a Filipino when you see it in other cultures, and when it is performed in front of you,” Magdangal said.
Coates added, “You will come away with this feeling of wanting to live another day, wanting to be the people that we are acting on stage. It will change your heart and your perspective. Make you proud to be a human living in this world.”
Azanza-Dy turned personal when talking about what Filipinos can expect.
She said, “I have a son who’s 11, and I think he’s at an age where he can appreciate the workings of it. I’m glad it’s this show because the message is so perfect for him and many people. I think a lot of our youth are struggling to make sense of what the world is coming to. What am I being? What challenges are we going to rise to?“
“As a parent, you want to leave a good world for future generations. Stories like this need to be told because people need to be reminded that kindness is something that has to continue. Sometimes the answer is not in yourself. It’s in giving yourself to people. And then from there, I’ll find the answer. I’ll find what I’m looking for.”
And if you just want a good show? You can expect that, too. Fabregas said, “They can expect fantastic performances from the best people in our industry, who have come together for the first time.”
Come From Away will run from June 6 to 29, 2025, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.
Michael Williams is set to direct Come From Away, with Rony Fortich as musical director.
They are joined by Delphine Buencamino (Choreography), Harry Tabner (Lighting Designer), Luke Swaffield (Sound Designer), Kayla Teodoro (Production Designer), Myrene Santos (Hair and Makeup Designer), and Hershee Tatiado (Costume Designer).
Tickets are available on TicketWorld, starting at P900.
Stay updated on upcoming productions by visiting www.gmg-productions.com or following @gmg.productions on social media.
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