Come From Away superfan hits 100 shows … and counting

A superfan of the Broadway hit 9/11 musical Come From Away hit the century mark last week.

Amanda Jurson of New York City has now seen the show more than 100 times.

She says her motivation for going back to the Schoenfeld Theatre over and over started the first time she attended the musical.

"I mean, I know it's a problem, but, you know, it wrecked me. I've never felt so compelled to see a show that many times before," Jurson said.

The show is based on how the town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, assisted thousands of stranded air travellers who were grounded there in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York City.

The Broadway run started for Come From Away in mid-March of this year, after successful stints in Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

Jurson is an avid theater\goer, but she is unable to fully explain her love for this particular play.

"It's just a feel-good show. I love the story; it is just one giant hug for an hour and a half," she said. "If you have a bad day, you can just go to the show and you feel better about yourself."

Jurson keeps her addiction to the musical affordable by purchasing tickets that are available at the last minute or "rush" tickets.

"I get up at 4 or 5 and sit outside the theatre and get cheaper tickets," she said. "I literally sit outside the theater at 5 a.m. until the box office opens at 10 and I get a discounted ticket."

Cast members are quick to recognize Jurson in the audience and at the stage door after the shows because of her frequent attendance. She nearly always waits for them to leave in order to have a quick conversation or to take a few photos for social media.

"To me they're just people," Jurson said. "For me I just always want to tell them, 'good job.'"

Even though she has passed the 100-mark for Come From Away, she has no intention to stop seeing the show any time soon.

"I just really want to keep seeing it," she said. "The only reason I keep track is because the cast always asks me how many times this is. I'm just going to keep going."