Taraji P. Henson Explains Her Leap to Broadway in Debbie Allen’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’

Overview

• Henson told NBC’s Today that she joined the revival because, in her words, “you just can’t say no to Debbie Allen.”
• She said the staging brings out the play’s lighter moments and described her character as “the love and laughter.”
• The production marks Henson’s Broadway debut under Allen’s direction at the Barrymore Theatre, which is currently in previews.
• Cedric The Entertainer plays Seth Holly alongside Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Joshua Boone in key roles.
• August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is set in a 1911 Pittsburgh boarding house and returns to the Barrymore, which hosted its 1988 Broadway premiere.