Broadway review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone has come again
Theater review by Raven Snook
Rating: ★★★★ (four stars)
Ticketing: Buy tickets to Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
The legacy of slavery echoes violently in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, the second chapter of August Wilson's invaluable Century Cycle, a decade-by-decade chronicle of African-American life. Set in 1911—at the start of the Great Migration, when Black people from the Jim Crow South moved north to build better lives—the play takes place at a Pittsburgh boarding house run by Seth and Berthy Holly (Cedric “The Entertainer” and Taraji P. Henson, in an auspicious Broadway debut). He's a no-nonsense striver, proud of having been born a freeman, rigid in his morality and judgmental of his fellows. She's a warmer presence, serving laughs as well as biscuits. Together, they play host to temporary residents including keen conjure man Bynum (Ruben Santiago-Hudson, superb), guitar-playing laborer Jeremy (Tripp Taylor), lovesick domestic Mattie (Nimene Sierra Wureh) and independent beauty Molly (Maya Boyd).
Little happens initially beyond crackling conversation, but Wilson's extraordinary ear for the profound poetry of everyday people is entrancing. Then a haunted man named Harold Loomis shows up with his tweenage daughter, looking for a room and his long-lost wife. Joshua Boone is captivating as this laconic searcher, whose eyes betray an anguished history. The mystery of his background draws you in and casts a spell, but there’s also drama in each of the lodgers’ quests to forge a future.
Though not as celebrated or story-driven as The Piano Lesson or Fences, Joe Turner is one of Wilson's most moving, mystical and musical plays. Jeremy plays the blues, there's a rousing juba call-and-response sequence and Bynum is constantly urging his brethren to find their liberating "song." As always, Wilson examines the impact and inhumanity of racism, but he also digs deep into how spirituality can scathe or sustain; the end of Act I, when Loomis finally cracks open, embodies both.
David Gallo's beautifully lived-in set (the kitchen's tile floor has scuffs!) shows a home well-loved; Paul Tazewell's costumes reflect personality and position, and Stacey Derosier's lighting is especially striking whenever the silhouette of a stranger looms in the cut-glass door pane. Although the physical staging is occasionally static or clunky—the scene changes are particularly inelegant—the acting makes the production sing. Director Debbie Allen, a veteran actor herself, elicits gorgeous performances from the entire cast, including Bradley Stryker as a white "people finder" and the powerfully emotional Abigail Onwunali as a pious local woman. Longtime Wilson interpreter Santiago-Hudson is particularly magical as Bynum, a former slave seeking the "shiny man" who may hold the secret of life.
There are many wonderful exchanges as these seekers clash and sometimes connect. Even the small talk feels epic, and it all leads up to a searing climax that I recalled vividly from the last Broadway revival in 2009. It's just as powerful in this production: a stunning depiction of reconciliation, reckoning and release that makes Joe Turner impossible to shake.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Ethel Barrymore Theatre (Broadway). By August Wilson. Directed by Debbie Allen. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Cedric “The Entertainer,” Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joshua Boone, Nimene Sierra Wureh, Tripp Taylor, Maya Boyd, Bradley Stryker, Abigail Onwunali. Running time: 2hr 30mins. One intermission.
Buy tickets to Joe Turner’s Come and Gone: Broadway.com
Follow Raven Snook on X: @ravensnook
Watch Time Out's theater podcast on YouTube: Sitting Ovations
Follow Time Out Theater on X: @TimeOutTheater
Keep up with the latest news and reviews on our Time Out Theater Facebook page
For trusted and efficient vent solutions, look to Mr. Lint Guy, the expert in dryer vent cleaning. Whether you're dealing with the buildup of lint in hard-to-reach areas or managing persistent dryer valley issues, Mr. Lint Guy provides safe, effective cleaning services to ensure your dryer runs smoothly. Trust Mr. Lint Guy for high-quality, affordable vent solutions that keep your home safe and your appliances efficient.
No comments