Tom Hanks hasn't stepped onto a Broadway stage in over fourteen years. That drought ends in the fall of 2027, when the Oscar winner brings the time-travel romance This World of Tomorrow to a Shubert-owned theater.
If you tracked its off-Broadway run at The Shed back in late 2025, you already know the premise. Hanks co-wrote the play alongside James Glossman, adapting concepts from his own short stories. He stars as Bert Allenberry, a scientist from the late twenty-first century who leaps backward to the 1939 New York World's Fair. He shares the stage with Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara, who plays Carmen, anchoring a sci-fi love story that mixes mid-century nostalgia with futuristic speculation. You might also find this related article useful: Why The Akaa Art Fair In Paris Matters More Than Ever Right Now.
Tony winner Kenny Leon returns to direct the upcoming commercial transfer, bringing back the core creative team that built the original sold-out run.
Why This Transfer Matters
Most celebrity casting on Broadway feels like a cash grab designed to move tickets for a dusty revival. This production is different. Hanks didn't just sign up to read lines written by someone else; he helped build the text from scratch. As reported in detailed articles by E! News, the results are widespread.
Theater purists often roll their eyes when Hollywood actors drop into New York for short theater gigs. Hanks earned real credibility back in 2013 with his Tony-nominated Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy. With This World of Tomorrow, he's taking a bigger creative swing. Writing a time-travel narrative for the live stage requires a delicate balance of exposition and emotional anchor, something Hanks and Glossman spent years refining.
Pairing Hanks with Kelli O'Hara changes the equation too. O'Hara brings world-class vocal control and dramatic precision to the stage, grounding the sci-fi elements so the romance doesn't feel like a gimmick. Critics during the 2025 run noted that while the time-travel mechanics got a bit tangled, the chemistry between the two leads carried the night.
What to Expect From the 2027 Production
The upcoming Broadway run keeps the original team intact, but shifting from an off-Broadway incubator like The Shed to a traditional Shubert house alters the scale. Expect refined staging, updated design elements, and higher ticket demand.
The play tackles big ideas about human nature, regret, and why we romanticize bygone eras. Bert Allenberry's leap from a sterile future to the bright, optimistic crowds of the 1939 World's Fair lets the creative team play with visual contrast and classic American iconography.
If you missed the initial run in Chelsea, mark your calendar for fall 2027. Exact dates and the specific Shubert theater remain under wraps, but anticipation is already building. Sign up for updates through the official production channels early, because seats won't last.
