By Matthew Wexler
“Predictions never measure up. How can anyone say what is going to happen?” asks Carmen Perry (Kelli O’Hara), a middle-class Bronx divorcee, after experiencing The World of Tomorrow exhibit at the 1939 World’s Fair. “Will the future really be amazing to the people living in it?”
It’s a valid, if emotionally muted, question in Tom Hanks and James Glossman’s play, making its world premiere Off-Broadway at The Shed.
The location itself, a multipurpose cultural venue that has suffered from an identity crisis since it opened in 2109, speaks volumes to its current tenant. Adapted from Hanks’ short story collection, Uncommon Type, This World of Tomorrow centers on Bert Allenberry (Hanks), a clean-cut Richard Branson type eager to jet-set from 2089 to someplace more nostalgic.
Wouldn’t you know it, Bert lands in New York City and crosses paths with Carmen (along with her precocious niece, Virginia, a rambunctious Kayli Carter). The script may indicate a spark, but after multiple iterations of the same scene to convey time travel, it feels more like Groundhog Day.
DISCOVER MORE OFF-BROADWAY PLAYS
In ‘Meet the Cartozians,’ Talene Monahon asks who gets to be an American
Director Kenny Leon, who has recently had a string of Broadway hits, pulls out all the stops to keep this time-traveling misfire in the right galaxy. Even with brisk pacing and seamless scenic and projection design by Derek McLane, the play spins out of orbit, unable to connect its multiverse themes with the intimate relationship at its core.
Fans of his film work will flock to see Hanks, who hasn’t appeared on a New York stage since Broadway’s Lucky Guy more than a decade ago, and for some, that might be enough. The Academy Award winner fills the cavernous space with a decidedly theatrical performance. O’Hara is equally charismatic, but as a Greek diner owner observes of their fleeting relationship, “She is waiting for … tomorrow,” and he is “looking for … yesterday.”
But for a play about the consequences of time travel and living in the moment, we never really go anywhere.
It wants better content.
Fast facts: ‘This World of Tomorrow’
Tom Hanks brings undeniable star power to this time travel romance, but the play never quite takes off.
- The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, New York City
- Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission
- Performances through December 21, 2025
