Cunard has arranged for the musical Come From Away, awarded both Tony and Olivier prizes, to be staged at sea for the first time aboard Queen Elizabeth. The production is scheduled to debut during the ship’s maiden Caribbean season, which begins on October 16th, 2025. The show marks its 10th anniversary this year and will be performed twice per voyage in Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Court Theatre, once for a matinee performance and once in the evening.
The story, written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, portrays the real events following 9/11 when thousands of airline passengers were stranded in Gander, Newfoundland and the community that opened its doors to them. Cunard has indicated that this sea-adapted version, lasting approximately one hour and forty minutes and delivered by a cast of twelve, has been specifically tailored for performance at sea to retain the production’s original emotional and musical impact.
Cunard’s president, Katie McAlister, described the decision as consistent with the line’s long tradition of presenting live entertainment that resonates with guests, citing values of compassion and connection. The producer of Come From Away, John Brant, noted that after a decade the show still provokes strong responses, and that bringing the story on board represents an opportunity to carry those responses to new environments and audiences.
In adaptation for sea, Come From Away aboard Queen Elizabeth will use the Royal Court Theatre’s stage twice each voyage and maintain core features of the original — its cast, music, and narrative — while adjusting staging concerns for shipboard presentation. The debut will coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s first Caribbean roundtrip voyage, which departs from Miami on October 16th, 2025, calling at Caribbean ports including San Juan, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Maarten and Tortola.