Front Porch Theatricals

Review: ‘Come From Away’ Pulsates With Neighborly Heart and Soul

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FRONT PORCH GETS TO THE HEART AND SOUL OF ‘COME FROM AWAY’

Front Porch Theatricals’ second summer season offering is the first locally produced version of the 2017 Tony Award-nominated musical, with brilliant staging harnessing the chaotic energy and performances that dig deep into individuals whose lives were shaped by he 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the mostly hidden story of what happened next.

Preview: ‘Come From Away’ Arrives With Stories of ‘Relentless Decency’

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TALKING “COME FROM AWAY” WITH LISA ANN GOLDSMITH AND DREW LEIGH WILLIAMS

Lisa Ann Goldsmith was “a plane person” on September 11, 2001, bound from Ohio for her home in New York. Drew Leigh Williams was in a rural PA high school, near Harrisburg. With the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks almost upon us, the musical “Come From Away” is a reminder that, amid the devastation and trauma, there also were generosity and kindness at work. For Front Porch Theatrical’s upcoming production, Goldsmith plays the role of Beulah Davis, a composite of real-life residents Beulah Cooper and Diane Davis. Williams will don the uniform of the pioneering American Airlines pilot, Captain Beverly Bass.

Director Griffith Digs Into the Art of ‘Working’for Front Porch

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Daina Michelle Griffith has memories of “Working” dating back to her college days, when her friend was performing in a Theatre Factory production of the musical. “I went out to see it and loved it,” recalls Griffith, who will direct the musical to lead off Front Porch Theatricals’ 2026 season, opening Friday, May 15, 2026. To take on Working, Griffith will direct back-to-back shows (next up is barebones productions’ “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,” June 12-28, 2026. When Front Porch came calling, she thought she knew exactly what she was getting into – until it was explained that the show, conceived and first produced by Stephen Schwartz in the 1970s, was to be the 2012 revised version, updated with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Front Porch Theatricals in 2026 Musicals: ‘Working’ and ‘Come From Away’

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Reaching back and passing the torch was a running theme of Front Porch Theatricals 2026 season announced on Monday, where it was revealed that Working and Come From Away will be their summer shows. For the occasion of the annual fundraising cabaret and season reveal, a songfest of local talent onstage and in the audience, the incomparable Lenora Nemetz, a Pittsburgher and a member of the original Broadway cast of “Working” in 1978, told a funny story about how she got the role, then provided a heartfelt introduction for Marnie Quick, who sang the show’s waitress song, It’s an Art.

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