Taraji P. Henson has made her Broadway acting debut in the revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, with comedian Cedric The Entertainer.
Henson takes the role of Bertha Holly and Cedric the Entertainer will star as Seth Holly. They are joined onstage Joshua Boone as Herald Loomis, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bynum Walker, and Savannah Commodore and Dominique Skye Turner, who share the role of Zonia Loomis; Bradley Stryker as Rutherford Selig.
Set in 1911, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone takes place in a Pittsburgh boarding house run by the steady Seth and the open-hearted Bertha Holly—a refuge for Black travelers navigating the upheaval of the Great Migration. Among them is Herald Loomis, a man searching for his lost wife—and for the self he lost during seven years of illegal enslavement 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.
Directed by Golden Globe and four-time Emmy winner Debbie Allen, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is playing in the Barrymore, the same theatre where the play premiered in 1988.
The original production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in March 1988, running for 105 performances.
August Wilson is one of the most celebrated playwrights of the 20th century, known for his insightful and lyrical exploration of the African-American experience. The renowned playwright is known for his acclaimed ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ of plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences and the Tony Award-winning Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.