Taraji P Henson & Cedric 'The Entertainer' Will Lead JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:31am

Taraji!!!!!!! This is beyond exciting for me

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:33am

Fantastic! I loved the last revival and have been wanting to see Taraji onstage. I also love a surprise announcement that hasn’t been whispered about too far in advance.

Updated On: 6/30/25 at 09:33 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:37am

I had a dream about Taraji playing Tedra in a film version of FAT HAM, so this news is not just a funny coincidence but also really effing exciting!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:38am

Lead producer is Brian Anthony Moreland, so we know the tickets will be obscenely priced. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:44am

EDSOSLO858 said: "Lead producer is Brian Anthony Moreland, so we know the tickets will be obscenely priced."

In other news, water is wet and dogs bark…

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:46am

Can we redo that website? That logo ain’t it.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:47am

Awful logo. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 9:58am

EDSOSLO858 said: "Lead producer is Brian Anthony Moreland, so we know the tickets will be obscenely priced."

Ticket prices are entirely driven by demand. I don’t expect Taraji + Cedric to light up the box office in the way that Denzel & Jake or Sam Jackson & JD Washington or Clooney or Glengarry did. But maybe there will be other, comparable stars in the cast as well.

At least the playwright’s name is the most prominent thing on the page? I’ve seen yelling online about the tiny size of Beckett’s name for Godot. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 11:00am

I remember Denzel Washington saying JTCAG was going to be the next film in his August Wilson film cycle with Netflix. He doesn't seem to be attached to this production as a producer, though.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 11:10am

KevinKlawitter said: "I remember Denzel Washington saying JTCAG was going to be the next film in hisAugust Wilson film cycle with Netflix. He doesn't seem to be attached to this production as a producer,though."

He wasn't a producer on the Piano Lesson revival either.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 1:02pm

RippedMan said: "Awful logo."

What? You don't like the WICKED font? 

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 1:46pm

Don't under estimate the star power of these two. Taraji, while there will be time in-between, is coming off a very successful Netflix film. Not to mention, these two won't be opposed to doing the media circuit as much as possible. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 1:49pm

Cedric's last time on Broadway in "American Buffalo" closed after a week and in those past almost 20 years, I don't think he's become a bigger draw, has he?

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:01pm

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:09pm

I teach JTCG every year to my seniors.  Can't wait to see it on Broadway next spring! Such a great play. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:11pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Cedric's last time on Broadway in "American Buffalo" closed after a week and in those past almost 20 years, I don't think he's become a bigger draw, has he?"

I'd wager Taraji's star-power peaked around 2016-2017, right? Surrounding EMPIRE and HIDDEN FIGURES and the work she did in the wake of those projects. EMPIRE ended five years ago, and COLOR PURPLE and other recent projects haven't set the box office/ratings charts aflame.

That's not saying she means nothing. And the benefit is both appeal to slightly different demographics.

Star power is also relative to what else is on in a given Broadway season, and also depends on how the production itself is received.

Both obviously have strong followings in the Black community, but what's unknown is what dollar amount those fans are willing to spend. $150 interest makes a show sustainable, $70 interest does not.

[Ke3]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:16pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Cedric's last time on Broadway in "American Buffalo" closed after a week and in those past almost 20 years, I don't think he's become a bigger draw, has he?"

While I certainly would not think so he does have a sitcom on CBS that inexplicably seems to draw in an average of five million viewers. I also think there’s a degree to which simply getting older and being culturally present even on a small scale helps with things like this. I haven’t really seen many things Cedric has been in but it’s still a name I’ve known basically as long as I’ve been alive.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:17pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Cedric's last time on Broadway in "American Buffalo" closed after a week and in those past almost 20 years, I don't think he's become a bigger draw, has he?"

 

He's just filming the 8th (and final) season of the CBS sitcom THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  Not a great show -- but he definitely has higher visibility now.

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 3:41pm

JSquared2 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Cedric's last time on Broadway in "American Buffalo" closed after a week and in those past almost 20 years, I don't think he's become a bigger draw, has he?"



He's just filming the 8th (andfinal) season of the CBS sitcom THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Not a great show -- but he definitely has higher visibility now."

I mean, the man has had a lot of work, steady or not, in the last 18 years. In addition to The Neighborhood, he also had another 3 year sitcom “The Last OG”, a 4 year sitcom “The Soul Man”, and a stint as host of “Millionaire”.

While none of this may be considered high clout for the regular theater community, he has a lot of cultural cache with the black community and I can imagine that, if producers forego some profit and make some tickets more affordable for BIPOC communities, this could be a runaway success.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 4:00pm

That’s awesome, then. And no i can’t say I’ve ever heard of his sitcom  - but there’s not really that much network tv i watch, now. 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 4:12pm

This may be a situation in which individual names may not be big draws, but when added together in the correct property, it could be a total greater than the sum of the parts.