The Debbie Allen-directed revival of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” has found a home on Broadway. Starring Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer,” previews begin March 30, 2026 at the Barrymore Theatre. Opening night is set for April 25. Also starring Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Tony nominee Joshua Boone, the 15-week limited engagement runs through July 12.
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Set in 1911, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” unfolds in a Pittsburgh boarding house run by the steadfast Seth and warm-hearted Bertha Holly. Their home offers refuge to Black travelers navigating the upheaval of the Great Migration. Among them is Herald Loomis, a man on a quest to reunite with his lost wife — and to reclaim the self he was forced to abandon during seven years of forced labor under Joe Turner. As buried traumas surface and spiritual forces awaken, Loomis’s journey becomes one of profound self-discovery. Around him, others seek connection, direction, and healing from a past marked by pain.
Through poetic dialogue and vivid, deeply human characters, Wilson crafts a powerful meditation on identity, resilience, and renewal. The play is the second installment in Wilson’s American Century Cycle — his groundbreaking 10-play series chronicling the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. This long-awaited revival brings Wilson’s enduring legacy back to Broadway, reaffirming the urgent, timeless relevance of his work.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is lead produced by Brian Anthony Moreland. Complete casting and the creative team will be announced soon.
This article previously appeared on Broadway.com.
