9/11 musical 'Come From Away' resonates again amid the pandemic. Watch it on Apple TV+

David Hein speaks of a time when there was a lot of anger and fear in the world. When people were upset. When nothing felt certain.

"What got us through that was ... we saw so many people being kind to one another in New York City, we saw theater coming back and opening up and people being encouraged to go back out and come back again."

He's speaking about the time period after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but his words ring as true when applied to the pandemic world. 

He says that kindness is why the story of Gander, Newfoundland, which took in and cared for planes full of thousands of people grounded after the attacks resonated so strongly with him and his wife Irene Sankoff, creators of the Broadway musical "Come From Away" based on the true tale.

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'Come From Away' resonates again as live show heads to Apple TV+

"The story of 'Come From Away,' people from around the world landing in this tiny town and coming together and overcoming differences to get through a moment that was so dark, it feels like it resonates again in this moment. It feels like we are coming back to theaters and feeling like we are coming back together. And it feels like telling the story continues to give us a little bit of hope in this moment right now."

"Come From Away" is certainly having a moment, and it could not be better-timed, with the 20th anniversary of Sept.11 as well as the return of Broadway, which has been shut down due to the pandemic for an unprecedented 18 months.

A filmed version of the live show will be released Sept. 10, available to watch on Apple TV+ — sharing the story of the world with the world in their living rooms for the first time.

In addition, "Come From Away" returns to Broadway Sept. 21, joining sister companies around the globe that have slowly been re-opening. 

"We've been waiting for this," Sankoff said. "And now it seems like it's all happening so quickly. Of course, we've got to take it one day at a time because we don't know. Nobody ever knows what the future holds. I think that's true now more than ever." 

"It's really wonderful," said Hein. "It feels like our cup suddenly runneth over after being empty for so long. It is joyful to see our companies opening around the world and to see the story about this little town in Newfoundland being celebrated around the world and then to be on Apple TV+ and going to 100 countries around the world is something that we never imagined."

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Musical writers say it's 'an amazing TV experience'

The writers, alongside the cast and entire teams, can't wait to share the story with the world — and they promise it will be a rewarding experience for people seeing the show for the first time, as well as those returning to Gander.

"What a gift it is, we've been really fortunate as writers," Hein said. "We get to sit backstage and watch the show from the wings. We've seen it from different angles and we've watched it a million times. So we see all the little details that people don't catch the first time. We were able to shoot it with nine cameras, dollies from above, from behind.

"For anyone who hasn't seen the show, it's an amazing TV experience, because we're able to capture closeups and specific details. But for people who have seen the show, there are a million Easter eggs that we were able to show to be like, 'Look at this, look at this.' This is a new way to see the show. It's a way to give our audiences even more and to bring it to even more audiences."

The frenetic nature of "Come From Away," a show with no intermission, limited pauses for applause and constant motion helped it translate well to digital capture, Sankoff said, adding that the pacing led to fun with camera angles and points of view.

She said she especially hopes that some of those audience members will be those she and Hein spent the aftermath of Sept. 11 with.

"I love that Apple TV+ reaches 100 countries around the world, because that's almost as many countries as were living in the international residence we were living in on 9/11," Sankoff said. "I'd like to think some of the people that we shared that day with, the confusion and the fear. Everybody returned back, we were extremely, extremely fortunate. The music started playing, the wine started flowing, we started just taking care of each other and staying up with one another to make sure we're OK, which really mirrors what happened out in Gander.

"And I just hope that people who we lost touch with, who we were holding hands with on that day, can see it wherever they are."