"Theater tip: not to be missed!!!," is the message Henry Winkler — a.k.a. The Fonz — tweeted to fans Saturday night about "Come From Away."
Winkler, best known for his beloved leather-jacketed character on "Happy Days" in the 1970s and 80s, is the latest celebrity to take in the musical on Broadway. Two nights ago, it was country star Reba McIntyre.
Both celebrities met and took selfies with the "Come From Away" cast backstage once the show was over, including Newfoundland's own Petrina Bromley, who posted them on social media.
THEATER TIP:
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) January 28, 2018
Not to be missed. !!! pic.twitter.com/i9tV8zUIWN
"Just a thrill to have (Winkler) in the house tonight," she tweeted. "Such a generous and joyful man. Thank-you!"
Winkler followed up with a tweet calling the show "amazing," and later, another tweet with "#welcometotherock."
"Come From Away" is based on the stories of 7,000 or so airline passengers stranded in Gander during the events of 9/11 and the local residents that took them in. The musical, written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein and directed by Christopher Ashley, has won a Tony Award, broken records at the box office and earned a Grammy nomination, and a feature film based on the show is in the works. A Canadian production of the show opened in Winnipeg earlier this month and will move to Toronto next week, while a third company will bring the musical on a North American tour in the fall.
In recent weeks, composer/writer/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda - who created and stars in the smash musical "Hamilton" - praised "Come From Away" after seeing it on Broadway. So did former FBI director James Comey.
"'Come From Away' is an inspiring story of kindness on 9/11 across all human divides, and in the midst of pain and turmoil," Comey tweeted. "Great message for today. And the producer let me hold the Newfoundland cod prop."
