Tyler Perry Joins Producing Team of JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
The play, starring Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer”, is now playing at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre.
Producer, director, writer, and actor Tyler Perry has joined the producing team of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway. Starring Taraji P. Henson as ‘Bertha Holly’ and Cedric “The Entertainer” as ‘Seth Holly,’ this production is directed by Golden Globe Award, four-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the 2026 Academy Honorary Award, Debbie Allen.
Perry stated, “I’m so excited to be joining the producing team of this play. August Wilson’s work is a beautiful cornerstone of the Black experience. I’ve had the privilege of working with several members of this incredible cast, including Taraji and Joshua, as well as the brilliant Debbie Allen, who directed this masterpiece. Audiences are truly in for a treat, and I can’t wait for them to experience what this team has created.”
Producer Moreland added, “Tyler Perry is a natural born storyteller. He will be right at home in the Broadway community. We’re thrilled to have him with us as we bring this magnificent play back to life – and back to its original Broadway home.”
The limited engagement began performances on Monday, March 30 with an opening night set for Saturday, April 25 at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street).
About Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Joe Turner's Come and Gone also stars Ruben Santiago-Hudson as ‘Bynum Walker,’ Joshua Boone as ‘Herald Loomis,’ Maya Boyd as ‘Molly Cunningham,’ Savannah Commodore and Dominique Skye Turner sharing the role of ‘Zonia Loomis,’ Abigail Onwunali as ‘Martha Loomis,’ Bradley Stryker as ‘Rutherford Selig,’ Tripp Taylor as ‘Jeremy Furlow,’ Christopher Woodley and Jackson Edward Davis sharing the role of ‘Reuben Scott,’ and Nimene Sierra Wureh as ‘Mattie Campbell.’ Understudies for the production are Jasmine Batchelor, Rosalyn Coleman, Thomas Michael Hammond, Cayden McCoy, and Kevyn Morrow.
The design team for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone features Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Tony Award winner Paul Tazewell (costume design), Tony Award winner David Gallo (scenic design), Drama Desk Award? nominee Stacey Derosier (lighting design), Tony Award nominee Justin Ellington (sound design), Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Emmy Award? winner Mia Neal (hair and wig design), Steve Bargonetti (Original Music & Music Supervisor), Dawn-Elin Fraser (vocal coach), David Blackwell (associate director), Casting by ARC (casting director), and Johnny Milani (production stage manager). Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is lead produced by Brian Anthony Moreland with 101 Productions, Ltd./Chris Morey serving as general managers.
Set in 1911, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone unfolds in a Pittsburgh boarding house run by the steadfast Seth and warm-hearted Bertha Holly. Their home offers refuge to Black travelers navigating the upheaval of the Great Migration. Among them is Herald Loomis, a man on a quest to reunite with his lost wife—and to reclaim the self he was forced to abandon during seven years of forced labor 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.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is the second installment in Wilson’s American Century Cycle — his groundbreaking ten-play series chronicling the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. This long-awaited revival brings Wilson’s enduring legacy back to Broadway, reaffirming the urgent, timeless relevance of his work.
