Character guide
Hannah
from Come From Away
Hannah is a mother in Come From Away, the 2017 musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, waiting for word of her firefighter son in New York.
- Show
- Come From Away
- Broadway premiere
- 2017
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Sankoff & Hein
Hannah: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Q. Smith (2017)
- Notable performers
- Cat Simmons played Hannah in the original West End production (2019).
- Voice type and range
- Alto, F3 to B4
- Songs Hannah sings
- Costume Party (with Diane, Kevin T., Kevin J., and company)
- I Am Here (solo)
Who is Hannah?
Hannah is one of the passengers stranded in Gander, a mother whose son is a New York City firefighter, leaving her desperate for any news of his safety as the scale of the September 11 attacks becomes clear. Cut off from information in an unfamiliar town, her fear and helplessness give voice to the anguish felt by families far from the disaster itself.
Her growing friendship with a Gander local, formed while she waits anxiously for news, becomes one of the show's most emotionally affecting relationships between a stranded passenger and the town that took her in.
Hannah's role in Come From Away
Hannah is a supporting role within the show's ensemble, built around a quietly devastating emotional arc and showcased in her solo I Am Here, sung as she waits for word of her son. The part requires an actor capable of conveying sustained anguish with restraint, as Hannah's arc ends in grief when she learns he died in the attacks.
Her friendship with a Gander local, formed during her wait for news of her son, gives the actor a chance to build a full relationship arc within the show's fast moving, ensemble driven structure.
Hannah: frequently asked questions
Who is Hannah based on in Come From Away?
Hannah is based on Hannah O'Rourke, a real passenger flying home to New York from Ireland whose plane was diverted to Gander on September 11, 2001. Her son Kevin, a New York City firefighter with FDNY Rescue Company 2, was killed in the North Tower that day, and her wait for news of him drives her storyline.
Who is the Gander local Hannah becomes friends with?
Hannah befriends Beulah, a Gander local based on real resident Beulah Cooper. In 2001, Cooper and the real Hannah O'Rourke bonded over both having sons who were firefighters, and the two women later often attended Come From Away together.
Who originated the role of Hannah on Broadway?
Q. Smith originated the role of Hannah when Come From Away opened on Broadway in 2017, one of the show's twelve performers who each play multiple passenger and Gander roles.
What show is Hannah from?
Hannah is a supporting character in Come From Away, which opened in 2017.
Is Hannah a lead or supporting role?
Hannah is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Come From Away?
Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote the music, lyrics, and book together.
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