Tom Hanks to lead self-written play THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW at The Shed — Page 3

Tom Hanks scheduled for Seth Meyers tonight.

Fordham2015 said: "This one definitely needed another pass through Tom's typewriter. The two-hander scenes with him and Kelli are terrific, but the tech talk in the future sequencesis way too dense."

I’d say 3 or 4 passes and with a lot of help from ghost writers. Amateurish in so many ways. O’Hara fairs best, since her natural qualities dovetail nicely with the character. The attempt to combine separate stories is clumsy at best. The writing for the scenes in the future seemed particularly half-baked. It’s hard to imagine this would have been professionally produced but for the Tom Hanks connection.

Our dogs are barking after tonight - and brains.

And why was that woman playing a little girl ... ? ... and so poorly? W the actual F.

This show didn't make anyone look like a good actor except O'Hara really. The Leon direction (or lack thereof) wasn't helping the proceedings much either.

Agree. We didn't expect to see Urinetown's Little Sally’ in a Tom Hanks play though .

Updated On: 12/11/25 at 02:29 PM

I went last night and I’m kinda glad I’m not alone in a lot of the feelings and sentiments I had about this play.

- This felt like the staging of a movie. It had all the cinematic flair pushed into the confines of the stage which, while admirable, was very hit or miss from me.

- Hanks is affable and, from afar and in a somewhat questionable wig, does appear young enough to be courting Kelli’s character (they are 20 years apart in age). If anything, I was happy to see him take a crack at the stage again since I did not have the money for Lucky Guy back in 2013.

- The supporting cast fares somewhat better. I did like Donald Webber (and his MGM-esque broom dance) and Jay O. Sanders in a variety of roles. Ruben Santiago-Hudson was also quite good in his scenes with Hanks. I presume he is injured and reducing his performances because he was walking with a cane, and Kevyn Morrow seems to be on with erratic frequency. (Note: Hudson was on last night, but our Playbill had a slip for Morrow).

- FAR too much sci-fi blabber jabber going on that tries to make the play sound smart, but really seems like just a word salad. I definitely think if they stripped away some of the overly scientific elements and tightened it so that Bert isn’t making 3-4 trips to reach the resolution, it would be better paced and not as leaden.

Overall - might be worth a rush if you can get it, but I’m tilting toward a pass on this one. I went only because I got a $125 aisle seat on TT during a flash sale. When I was talking to some of the cast night, even they were incredulous about the prices since their friends, family, and colleagues have all been priced out.

…oh, and Matthew McConaughey and his wife were there too. I saw him after the show. I didn’t chat with him but his wife Camila is absolutely lovely.

Tom Hanks on the Electrifying (and Terrifying) Experience of Writing a Play

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/theater/tom-hanks-this-world-tomorrow-play.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8k8.Y0if._9lkV69V6ltn&smid=nytcore-android-share