Author DeFede, ‘Come From Away’ come to Spokane

Above : The Best of Broadway production of “Come From Away” is coming to Spokane Aug. 9-14. (Photo/Schoenfeld Theatre)

Maybe it’s always been this way, but it seems more and more that movie and stage-play producers are turning to books for their ideas.

Lin-Manuel Miranda dreamed up “Hamilton” after reading Ron Chernow’s biography of what would become his favorite Founding Father.

And the next Best of Broadway event, the musical “Come From Away” – which begins its run next Tuesday at the First Interstate Center for the Arts – is actually an adaptation of Jim DeFede’s 2002 nonfiction book “The Day the World Came to Town.”

DeFede, a former staff writer at The Spokesman-Review, wrote about the Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, that played host to the passengers of  dozens of planes that were diverted there following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Developed into a musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, “Come From Away” opened on Broadway on March 12, 2017, and ended up winning a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical.

As a prelude to the musical’s Spokane opening, DeFede himself will be featured in a live presentation at 7 p.m. Monday at the Bing Crosby Theater. DeFede is scheduled to appear in conversation with acclaimed Spokane writer Jess Walter.

Click here to obtain tickets to the DeFede event. Click here to score tickets to the musical.