The reviews are rolling in for the latest revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, which officially opened on Broadway April 25. The production, which began previews March 30 at the Barrymore Theatre, has already extended its run through July 26.
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.
Read the reviews below.
New York Theatre Guide (Austin Fimmano)
New York Daily News (Chris Jones)
New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck, Melissa Rose Bernardo)
The New York Post (Johnny Oleksinski)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
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.