Tom Hanks to return to Broadway with original play

The play follows scientist Bert Allenberry, played by the Forrest Gump star, as he embarks on a time-traveling journey and falls in love with a woman named Carmen, played by O’Hara, at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York. Co-written by James Glossman and Hanks, the plot is based on a series of short stories written by Hanks in the book Uncommon Type.

Hanks and O’Hara originated their roles during the show’s off-Broadway run during an eight-week engagement in 2025.

It’s been 13 years since Hanks appeared on Broadway, last starring in Nora Ephron’s play Lucky Guy back in 2013. Although Hanks has quite the filmography, the Tony Award-nominated actor has a special appreciation for live performance.

“This is the single best thing about the theatre: every day, every night, every performance … You start at the beginning and you work all the way through to the end,” he told Playbill in an interview published Nov. 11, 2025. “So the theoretical disappears, and it’s actually the reality of what happens at that moment on the stage.”

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