The revival of August Wilson‘s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, which recently extended its limited engagement through July 26 at the Barrymore Theatre, played its first preview March 30. Check out photos from the evening in the gallery below.
Directed by Golden Globe and four-time Emmy winner Debbie Allen, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is playing the Barrymore, the same theatre where the play premiered in 1988.
The production stars Taraji P. Henson as Bertha Holly, Cedric the
Entertainer as Seth Holly, Joshua Boone as Herald Loomis, and Ruben
Santiago-Hudson as Bynum Walker. They are joined onstage by Savannah
Commodore and Dominique Skye Turner, who share the role of Zonia
Loomis; Bradley Stryker as Rutherford Selig; Tripp Taylor as Jeremy
Furlow; and Christopher Woodley and Jackson Edward Davis, who share
the role of Reuben Scott. Jasmine Batchelor, Rosalyn Coleman, Thomas
Michael Hammond, Cayden McCoy, and Kevyn Morrow serve as
understudies.
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Set in 1911, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone takes place in a
Pittsburgh boarding house run by the steady Seth and the open-hearted
Bertha Holly—a refuge for Black travelers navigating the upheaval of the
Great Migration. Among them is Herald Loomis, a man searching for his
lost wife—and for the self he lost during seven years of illegal
enslavement under Joe Turner. The work is the second in Wilson’s
American Century Cycle.
Allen leads a robust creative team, including Oscar, Emmy, and
Tony winning costume designer Paul Tazewell, Tony winning scenic
designer David Gallo, Drama Desk nominated lighting designer Stacey
Derosier, Tony nominated lighting designer Justin Ellington, and Oscar,
BAFTA, and Emmy winning hairstylist Mia Neal.
The original production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in March 1988,
running for 105 performances. Under the direction of Lloyd Richards, the
cast included Delroy Lindo and future film star Angela Bassett. The
production earned Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Director, Best
Featured Actor, and took the Best Featured Actress Tony Award for L.
Scott Caldwell.
A revival came to Broadway in 2009 playing just 31 previews and 69
performances at the Belasco Theatre. Despite the brief run, the play was
an awards season darling, with Roger Robinson winning the Tony for Best
Featured Actor in a Play and Brian MacDevitt winning the Tony for Best
Lighting Design of a Play. The revival earned an additional four
nominations, for Best Revival of a Play, Best Direction, Best Scenic
Design, and Best Sound Design.