Behind the scenes, Broadway play packed with Atlantans including Tyler Perry

A Tony-nominated revival of a classic August Wilson play has been partially financed by an array of prominent Atlantans including media mogul Tyler Perry and entrepreneur Kandi Burruss.

“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” ― which opened last month in New York City at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway and is set to run through July 26 ― stars Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer and Tony-winning actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Burruss, known for being part of R&B group Xscape and for her extended stint on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” has become a prolific Broadway producer. She previously produced Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” as well as “The Wiz” and “Othello.”

Kandi Burruss attends the Broadway opening night of August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Barrymore Theatre on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in New York. (Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

In this case, Burruss joined fellow producer Brian Moreland to revive “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and recruited several of her Atlanta friends to become producers and financial partners themselves: “Real Housewives of Atlanta” producer Mona Scott King, Xscape group mate Tameka “Tiny” Harris and “Housewives” star Shamea Morton.

“The collection of notable Atlantans who have gathered to support this production speaks to the cultural influence of Atlanta,” said Jocelyn Moore, an Atlanta producer of the play. “We feel these are important stories that need to be told and not forgotten.”

The play, directed by legendary multi-hyphenate Debbie Allen, is set at a Pittsburgh boarding house run by Seth (Cedric) and Bertha (Henson) in 1911 where Black Southern migrants arrive. One character, a troubled traveling man named Herald Loomis (Joshua Boone), bears the scars of post-slavery enslavement after being abducted into seven years of hard labor under Joe Turner. He comes to the city seeking to find his wife.

“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” first debuted at the same Broadway theater in 1988 and ran for 105 performances with future stars like Angela Bassett and Delroy Lindo on stage.

So far, the revival has received strong reviews and solid early sales. On Tuesday, it received five Tony nominations including best featured actor, original score and costume design.

“Stunningly depicted and gorgeously acted,” wrote Aramide Tinubu in Variety. “‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ is a deeply grounded production about identity, home, love and how the horrors of slavery, racism and injustice continue to reverberate through time and across generations, impacting us all.”

Atlantans Deborah Riley Draper (left) and Joycelyn Moore are producers involved in "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," now on Broadway. (Courtesy of Deborah Riley Draper)

Deborah Riley Draper, another Atlanta producer who just completed a Cannes-bound documentary about Wilson’s muse, artist Romare Bearden, said the play resonates today because the physical and psychological displacement it features “is literally happening right now across this country and across the globe.”

Moore, Draper’s production partner, said the characters could time travel today and still be relatable. “We still have multigenerational trauma and poverty,” she said. “While there has been progress, there is so far to go. That’s what speaks to all of us when we watch this play.”

Perry, in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said he joined the production team because “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.”

Shamea Morton on the red carpet at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for opening day of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone." Her mom Sarah is in the background. (Courtesy of Shamea Morton)

Morton said the play impacted her viscerally. “I can identify with the issues of belonging and the need for spiritual restoration,” she said. “And I love how Debbie Allen was able to bring it to light.”