About the Show

Time-travel love story starring Tom Hanks, written with James Glossman, directed by Kenny Leon.

Set at the turn of the 22nd century, This World of Tomorrow follows Bert Allenberry, a lonely scientist searching through time for meaning and connection. His journey through time reveals the tensions between nostalgia and progress, and ultimately confronts the question of what truly makes a life worth living.

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks stars as Bert and co-writes the play with James Glossman, drawing from Hanks’s own short stories. The production is directed by Kenny Leon, a Tony Award winner known for A Raisin in the Sun and Fences.

Commissioned and produced by The Shed, this eight-week limited engagement brings together a team of award-winning theatre artists in the Griffin Theater. The production is part of The Shed’s ongoing commitment to new work and innovation, supported by its commissioning fund and presenting partnerships.

Critic Reviews (11)

"It’s more of a comfort-food experience, actually: a time-travel romance that often feels like a period musical minus the songs"
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"Hanks is a marvel onstage, and even hearing him deliver the same lines again and again feels like a treat. This is a show worth traveling from any century for."
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"One thing you can say about This World of Tomorrow is that it doesn’t do much of what you might expect. There’s little tension anywhere or really any significant attempt to undercut Bert’s rosy gaze on the past"
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"It’s a gauzy, slight and overextended blend of science fiction and romantic fantasy, like an episode of The 'Twilight Zone' cross-pollinated with a Hallmark Channel movie."
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"This is a simmer of a piece of theater overall, rather than a fast boil, and the burners go out from time to time. But it’s a warm experience as the weather chills."
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“ 'This World of Tomorrow' manages to create the uncanny feeling of being stuck in both the future and the past, which is actually an impressive feat. Either way, you can’t help but long to escape."
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"Impressive as all these technological stage effects are, 'This World of Tomorrow' never lets us feel all that much for a couple we’re ready to love. In the end, their story is more head than heart."
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"All of this hokiness might have been more palatable if director Leon had provided some flair or imagination to the staging."
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