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

Credit: Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Credit: 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.”

Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Credit: Julieta Cervantes

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.”

Credit: SPECIAL FROM DEBORAH RILEY DRAPER

Credit: SPECIAL FROM 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.”

Credit: SPECIAL FROM SHAMEA MORTON

Credit: SPECIAL FROM 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.”

Last month on the Broadway red carpet before the opening performance April 25, Morton was joined by a cavalcade of stars including Jussie Smollett, Taye Diggs, Shonda Rhimes, Anthony Anderson, Meagan Good, Phylicia Rashad and LL Cool J.

“I saw Michelle Obama!” Morton said. (Obama is a co-producer of the show along with former President Barack Obama.) “There were family members of August Wilson. It just felt magical.”