Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer have been tapped to star in the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, which will be directed by Debbie Allen.

It will open in Spring 2026 at a Shubert Theatre that will be announced at a later date. This is the Broadway debut of Henson, who was a producer on the 2024 Tony nominee, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. This is Cedric the Entertainer’s return to Broadway for the first time in almost 17 years. He made his debut in 2008 with American Buffalo. More casting will be announced at a later date.

It also brings Allen back to Broadway, where she debuted as an actress in 1970’s Purlie, and has gone on to star in several other productions. Her Broadway directorial debut was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Terrence Howard, James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad in 2008.

Who will Henson and Cedric the Entertainer portray?

Henson and Cedric the Entertainer will play wife and husband duo Bertha and Seth Holly. Producer Brian Anthony Moreland made the announcement of the production on Monday. He was also behind the recent Broadway productions of The Piano Lesson and Othello.

Moreland said in a statement, “We are truly honored to return to August Wilson’s legacy. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is Wilson’s seminal masterpiece—an unflinching exploration of pain, identity, and hope. With Debbie Allen’s visionary direction and this extraordinary cast, the entire company will present a performance that resonates deeply and lingers in the hearts and minds of all who experience it.”

What is ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ about?

Per the official description, “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 old wounds surface and spiritual forces awaken, Loomis’s journey becomes a powerful quest for identity, belonging, and healing. Around him, others seek connection, purpose, and a future shaped by more than pain. Through poetic dialogue and deeply human characters, August Wilson crafts a story of resilience and rebirth.”

This is the second play in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone

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