Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (centre right) and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (right), chat with some of the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, after the Broadway musical Come From Away in New York on Wednesday. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2079782/canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-and-ivanka-trump-watch United States & Canada
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Ivanka Trump watch Broadway musical about welcoming foreigners
Ivanka Trump greets patrons as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, left, looks on before the start of the Broadway musical Come From Away in New York on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — along with first daughter Ivanka Trump as a guest — welcomed a new Broadway musical that celebrates Canadian compassion and openness to international travellers following the September 11 attacks.
Trudeau and Trump and some 120 ambassadors from around the world attended the show Come From Away on Wednesday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, in a city where the bulk of the 3,000 people on 9/11 died and in a country furiously discussing borders and immigration.
The musical is set in the small Newfoundland town of Gander, which opened its arms and homes to some 7,000 airline passengers diverted there when the US government shut down its airspace. In a matter of a few hours, the town was overwhelmed by 38 planeloads of travellers from dozens of countries and religions, yet locals went to work in their kitchens and cleaned up spare rooms to house them.
In remarks before the show, Trudeau got on the stage and said he was pleased that, “the world gets to see what it is to lean on each other and be there for each other through the darkest times.”
The show got a standing ovation, including from Trump, who sat near Trudeau, his wife and the US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. Also in attendance was Jean Chretien, former Canadian prime minister, and the mayor of Gander. Trump was seen clapping along happily as the band played at the curtain call. Later went backstage to greet the performers.
The actors did not make any changes to the script or acknowledge the special audience.
“When do we have the opportunity to share a story about kindness, gratitude and love that takes place in a country that is known for opening their hearts to people?” said actor Rodney Hicks. “It just meant the world to all of us.”
Trudeau, who champions global free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees, was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation and also hoped to reaffirm the special friendship between Canadians and Americans.
“Our friends are there for those tough times, when you lose a parent or a loved one, when you get knocked off your path at a difficult moment in your life. Where you go through difficult times, that’s when you turn and you lean on your friends,” he said. “That ultimately is what this story is all about — being there for each other.”
In the show, a cast of a dozen play both residents and marooned passengers, telling true stories of generosity, compassion and acceptance, while fear and suspicion reigned in America. The show arrives just as a debate over immigration and open borders has reignited following the Trump administration’s push for a ban on travelers from six predominantly Muslim nations.
Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote the book, music and lyrics, and it was directed by Christopher Ashley, the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse. The musical veers its focus from weighty matters — a mother anxious about her missing firefighter son in New York — to more silly events, like a rowdy evening at a local bar where visitors are urged to kiss a cod.
Security at the theatre was intense and theatregoers had to navigate through frozen snow drifts as well as black SUVs. But Trudeau seemed comfortable on the stage.
“I have to sort of personally say, on behalf of all Canadians, thank you for making us so welcome with the snow,” he said. “It’s a nice touch. You really went out of your way.”
Trudeau’s warm reception was in contrast to the ones that greeted two other world leaders who recently attended Broadway — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Both received more than a smattering of boos when they separately attended the musical Hamilton.