JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE 2026 Previews

A second Broadway revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone begins previews tomorrow (March 30). One of ten dramas that make up August Wilson’s famous Pittsburgh Cycle, this production stars Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer as Bertha and Seth Holly; they are complemented by Joshua Boone, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Maya Boyd, Abigail C. Onwunali, Bradley Stryker, Tripp Taylor, and Nimene Sierra Wureh. Directed by Debbie Allen, the play opens on April 25 and runs through July 19 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. 

“Set in Pittsburgh in 1911 during a pivotal era of migration and transformation, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone centers on Seth and Bertha Holly, who run a warm, orderly boardinghouse for those navigating uncertain paths. But when a mysterious man named Herald Loomis arrives with his young daughter, the stillness of the house begins to shift.”

Who’s booked a visit to the boardinghouse?

Approximate runtime is 2:30 including intermission, per the website. (Telecharge says that's subject to change.)

Updated On: 3/30/26 at 06:12 PM

I just looked at a handful of dates on Telecharge and they all appear half-sold or worse, even a few days from now.

I was surprised there had been no reports on this board after the first two previews so I checked on reddit.  Happily, the report on the first preview is a good one, well detailed.  It's such a beautiful play, I hope this production brings it to a new audience. 

I adore this play and I wish I could see this production but it's an odd sell, no? There's a lot of great actors here but the only real star is Taraji P. Henson. I love her but I'm not sure she has ever carried a box office success? Cedric the Entertainer's only other Broadway credit is rather notorious for his inability to draw a crowd so... what did they think would set the box office on fire here? I hope it's great and I hope they have a smashing success... just a head scratcher for me.

That's a good point! I hope that's true. I find I'm never very good at predicting who will and who won't be a draw. I thought that American Buffalo woulda drawn a crowd and obviously I was very wrong about that.

How does the Sher revival compare to the original Broadway staging from 1988, which was directed by the great Lloyd Richards? That production lasted 14 weeks only. During the early spring, around the official opening date, a detailed explanation of the plot and its multiple meanings was added to the Playbill. The production always struggled at the box office, despite multiple Tony nominations.

I still have fond memories of the furniture melting into the floor in the Sher production. 

Tyler Perry is joining the producing team. Curious how he is getting away with this considering he is on Actors’ Equity’s Do Not Work List

Perry is not the employer. And for the record all of the following tourring companies are on the same list, so move on.

Big League


Networks

Troika

Crossroads Live

 

I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion about this. I love this play, so having not seen the 2009 revival I was very much looking forward to this tonight and (for me) this did NOT disappoint. In fact, I honestly think it's up there with the best productions of an August Wilson play I've maybe seen. The cast is uniformly perfect and I can see multiple Tony nominations coming to them. I was very curious how Taraji would be on stage and she's just wonderful. Her Bertha reminds me a lot of Queenie, her character in "Benjamin Button" (which got her an Oscar nomination) and she channels a bit of her into this, which works very well. Cedric is fantastic and Ruben Santiago Hudson and Joshua Boone are both just out of this world. 

Combined with a fantastic set, perfect period costumes and Debbie Allen knocking the direction out of the park, this was one hell of a way to end the season. I'm really hoping reviews tomorrow reflect all of this because I left the Barrymore with a huge smile on my face for this production getting it all so right. 

Such little buzz about this show. Has anyone else here seen it? I'd love to read some comments before deciding if I need to see it or not.