Tom Hanks is back in the spotlight with the play This World of Tomorrow. Staged at the Shed, this production is not a conventional play. It resembles a creative experiment where actors don costumes and follow a script, but it mainly revolves around Hanks. It’s like a fun project meant to showcase his charm.
In This World of Tomorrow, Hanks plays Bert Allenberry, a wealthy tech mogul in the year 2100. He travels back to the 1939 New York World’s Fair, captivated by its glamor and nostalgia. What drives him, however, is not just a fascination with the past but his infatuation with Carmen Perry, portrayed by Kelli O’Hara. Each time he meets her, she’s unaware of their previous encounters, creating a strange dynamic. It feels a lot like films such as Groundhog Day and Midnight in Paris, where time loops are explored, but here, the sensitivity towards women’s agency takes a backseat.
One big question is whether the audience will find deeper themes in this work. Critics mention the lack of tension and any significant critique of nostalgia. While the play hints at historical issues, like racism in the 1930s, it mostly remains lighthearted. Alex Poots, the Shed’s artistic director, commented on the “rise of authoritarianism” in a promotional interview, but these references feel superficial.
The production also leaves viewers yearning for more visual excitement. The set design features moving columns and projections but lacks the wow factor one might expect from a show centered on a time-traveling tech giant. Wouldn’t it be better if we could see nostalgic inventions from the time period?
As for Hanks’s performance, there’s a familiar warmth to his onstage presence. He seems to exude the charm that makes audiences fall in love with him, yet some critics argue that he plays himself rather than a nuanced character. It raises the interesting idea: should we simply allow celebrities to shine without the complexity of traditional storytelling?
Overall, This World of Tomorrow teeters between light-hearted storytelling and deeper exploration. While it showcases Tom Hanks’s undeniable allure, it also shows the challenges of merging star power with thought-provoking theater.
For those interested in how nostalgic themes play out in theater today, one can explore historical writings on nostalgia and its impacts on culture. For further insights, you can read about the effects of nostalgia in art in this Harvard Business Review article.
This World of Tomorrow runs at the Shed through December 21.
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