Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Tony nominee Joshua Boone have joined the company of the upcoming Broadway revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
As previously reported, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson and six-time NAACP Image Award winner Cedric “The Entertainer” will star in the Broadway revival of the Wilson classic next year. Directed by Golden Globe and four-time Emmy winner Debbie Allen, Joe Turner's Come and Gone will open in spring 2026 at a Shubert theatre to be announced.
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. The work is the second in Wilson's American Century Cycle.
Santiago-Hudson will play Bynum Walker, and Boone will play Herald Loomis, opposite Henson's Bertha Holly, and Cedric's Seth Holly.
Santiago-Hudson previously starred in Seven Guitars and Gem of the Ocean on Broadway, and directed the 2017 revival of Jitney—all written by Wilson. Santiago-Hudson also adapted Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom for Netflix. Boone was Tony nominated for his performance in The Outsiders, with additional Broadway credits including Skeleton Crew, Network, and Holler If Ya Hear Me.
The original production premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in March 1988, running for 105 performances. Under the direction of Lloyd Richards, the cast included Delroy Lindo and future film star Angela Bassett. The production earned Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Director, Best Featured Actor, and took the Best Featured Actress Tony Award for L. Scott Caldwell.
A revival came to Broadway in 2009 playing just 31 previews and 69 performances at the Belasco Theatre. Despite the brief run, the play was an awards season darling, with Roger Robinson winning the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play and Brian MacDevitt winning the Tony for Best Lighting Design of a Play. The revival earned an additional four nominations, for Best Revival of a Play, Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, and Best Sound Design.
In 2024, Denzel Washington announced that, as a custodian on Wilson's legacy, Joe Turner's Come and Gone would be the fourth Wilson play adapted for the screen in his deal with Netflix. Existing films include Fences (2016), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), and The Piano Lesson (2024). No further film details on Joe Turner's Come and Gone have been announced at this time. The film versions of Fences and The Piano Lessons were both preceded by Broadway stagings with much of the same cast.
Casting for the forthcoming Broadway revival is by ARC Casting, and 101 Productions, Ltd. is serving as general manager.
Visit JoeTurnerBway.com.