First Show at New Milwaukee Rep Theater a Record Breaker
'Come From Away' is drawing big crowds, laudatory reviews.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Come From Away in the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse November 4 – December 14, 2025. Pictured L to R Karen Ziemba, Steven Koehler, Gavin Gregory, Michael Doherty, Richard Ruiz Henry. Photo by Mark Frohna.
It turns out that Milwaukeeans are really interested in the story of a small island that is “the farthest place you’ll get from Disneyland.”
“Welcome to the Rock,” the opening song in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater‘s new show Come From Away, is loaded with references to the musical’s remote setting in rural Canada, but that hasn’t kept anyone from finding a seat at the new Associated Bank Theater Center.
Before the curtain went up for the first time Saturday, Milwaukee Rep announced the show is the highest-grossing performance in the organization’s history.
The Rep said the production has already grossed $1.3 million in ticket sales.
“Breaking our all-time sales record with Come From Away is more than a milestone, it’s a testament to the power of storytelling and the strength of this community,” said Chad Bauman, the Milwaukee Rep executive director, in a statement on Thursday. “Audiences have embraced this show’s message of unity and kindness, and their overwhelming response affirms our belief that Milwaukee Rep’s new Associated Bank Theater Center is not just a building, it’s a beacon for world-class theater in the Midwest.”
The Tony Award-winning musical, now being produced by regional theaters, is based on the events in Gander, Newfoundland, on Sept. 11, 2001 and the days following. Thirty-eight planes and more than 6,700 passengers were diverted to the town of 11,000 for several days after U.S. airspace was closed.
The production runs through Dec. 14.
Urban Milwaukee theater critic Dominique Paul Noth praised the production in his review. Noth saluted the Milwaukee Rep’s production for its “quick paced, warm embrace of the story” and director Mark Clements and the cast for their “expert” work. “In fact, once I start naming impressive presences… it is hard to stop since there are many.”
The show is being staged in the 700-seat Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, the centerpiece of the $80 million theater project.
The previous record holder was the 2019 production of West Side Story.
For more on the new theater complex, see our coverage from its Oct. 13 ribbon cutting.
Tickets for the show are available on the Milwaukee Rep’s website.
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