Flying home from a wedding in Ireland, Chris Maxwell, Paul Novak, and nearly 7,000 other passengers aboard 38 planes were forced to land at Gander International Airport on the Canadian island province of Newfoundland and Labrador on Sept. 11, 2001.

On the 24th anniversary of that day, in which terrorists hijacked planes and attacked the United States, the Long Island duo watched the inaugural performance of "Come From Away" at the packed 400-seat John W. Engeman Theater in Northport. The Tony Award-winning musical — the Northport theater’s 100th stage production, which will run through Oct. 26 — recounts their experiences of meeting Gander residents who not only gave them food, clothes and essentials over the next several days, but welcomed elderly passengers into their homes.

"We didn’t

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