Video: Tom Hanks, Kelli O'Hara, & Kenny Leon Talk THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW on CBS MORNINGS
This World of Tomorrow, starring and co-written by Hanks, is now running at The Shed.
By: Josh Sharpe Nov. 18, 2025
Tom Hanks is back on stage in This World of Tomorrow, now running at The Shed. The Oscar-winner, along with co-star Kelli O'Hara and director Kenny Leon, spoke to CBS Mornings about the show, which he also co-wrote based on two previously published short stories.
"Both [stories] are about these chance meetings between people who made prior decisions that brought them to this very specific place that alters their lives in ways that are irrefutable," Hanks teased.
The idea for the story came from a dinner game Hanks likes to play, where participants pick a time from the past in which they would choose to visit for just 12 hours. In the play, the protagonist Bert Allenberry (played by Hanks) repeatedly goes back to visit the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York.
The show is not a musical, which marks a departure from O'Hara's usual stage projects. "It's quite a relief to not worry about the phonation of not making a song," admitted the Tony-winner, adding, "It feels the same to me, as far as honesty." Watch the performers and Leon talk more about the show, including what they hope audiences will take away from it.
Previews for This World of Tomorrow began on October 30 in The Shed’s Griffin Theater with an opening night on November 18 as The Shed’s 2025 Gala. The production closes on December 21.
This World of Tomorrow is a new play by Tom Hanks and James Glossman, based on short stories written by Hanks, and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. This World of Tomorrow features Hanks in the lead role of Bert Allenberry alongside Kelli O’Hara. Also joining the cast are: Kerry Bishé, Kayli Carter, Paul Murphy, Jamie Ann Romero, Lee Aaron Rosen, Jay O. Sanders, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Donald Webber Jr., and Michelle Wilson.
This World of Tomorrow tells the story of Bert Allenberry, a forlorn scientist from the future who embarks on a time-traveling quest for true love, returning again, and again, and again to one special day at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York.
