Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Revival Opens on Broadway With a Timely Message
Debbie Allen and cast members including Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer discuss the emotional and spiritual impact of August Wilson’s play
What to Know
- Joe Turner’s Come and Gone opens on Broadway in a new revival directed by Debbie Allen, starring Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer, bringing August Wilson’s classic back to the stage
- Debbie Allen and the cast emphasize the play’s modern relevance, highlighting its themes of identity, community and self-discovery as a “mirror” for today’s audiences
- Cast members including Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Joshua Boone underscore the production’s emotional impact, while Cedric the Entertainer notes its balance of spiritual depth, music and moments of joy
The Debbie Allen-directed revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner’s Come and Gone has officially opened on Broadway. Led by Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson, Broadway.com hit the red carpet to chat with the cast and creative team about presenting the play for a modern audience.
Allen succinctly sets the scene on the carpet: “Opening night on Broadway, August Wilson, this cast,” and goes on to highlight the relevancy of reviving this play now. “[It] will put a mirror up to America to find our own identity and find our song.”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is revisiting the works of Wilson as Bynum Walker in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. “We spent a lot of years, a lot of time together, and we’ve been removed from each other a little bit,” he says of the late Wilson. “Now we’re back, and that’s the most rewarding thing.”
Joshua Boone, who returns to Broadway as Herald Loomis, speaks to the lasting impact the play has on audiences. “It all begins and ends with feeling,” Boone says. “I hope that feeling really rests inside of them, and people have to wrestle with themselves to some degree in watching this. What you’re watching or witnessing these people go through, there’s an understanding that you as an individual, as an audience member, go through the same thing.”
Cedric the Entertainer plays Seth Holly, with scenes that often act as a comedic break in the heaviness conquered by Wilson in the play. “It is a very serious play,” he says. “But the fact that it hits you spiritually; the fact that there are moments where there is song, when there is a feeling of rejoicefulness—it’s such a beautiful release for both the audience and the cast members.”
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