One of the most famous film stars in the world may not be as popular on the stage as he is on the big screen – as Tom Hanks received mixed reviews for his play This World Of Tomorrow.
The Forrest Gump actor, 69, plays leading man Bert Allenberry, alongside his co-star Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara, 49, who plays his love interest Carmen Perry.
The play, directed by Kenny Leon and running at the Shed in New York was written by Tom and his collaborator James Glossman, based on the actor’s short-story collection Uncommon Type.
But the Oscar winner has not received all the glory he is used to on the red carpet as some critics have branded the play ‘dull’ and just plain ‘bad’.
Others have called the play a ‘touching love story’ and hailed Tom for his ‘charming’ performance.
Tom Hanks, 69 played leading man Bert Allenberry, in the opening night of This World of Tomorrow at The Shed in New York
He was joined by Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara, 49, (left) who plays his love interest Carmen Perry. (L-R) Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Kelli, Tom and Kayli Carter
The play follows Bert, a scientist from the future who travels 150 years back in time to the 1939 world fair in New York where he falls for bookkeeper Carmen.
Bert becomes enchanted by Carmen so much so that he continues to revisit that same day New York day just to be with her, as he years for the unattainable.
Vulture’s critic Jackson McHenry gave the performance a savage review, branding it the ‘dawn of a dull day’.
He said: ‘Whatever is happening at the Shed right now, it’s not really a play. It’s play-shaped, and actors put on costumes and wander around onstage for a couple of hours, repeating words they’ve memorised.
‘The script is too rudderless to navigate toward any specific theme, and Leon, who has become the go-to director for soggy celebrity-driven drama, hasn’t pushed his cast toward any specific idea.’
Jackson compared the play to a ‘a flight of fancy,’ ‘a doodle on a napkin,’ or ‘a college-drama-club project with the express purpose of making one person happy.’
Theatre critic Naveen Kumar from the Washington Post also didn’t hold back in his review: ‘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. If you would like to preserve your affection for Hollywood’s most beloved leading man… Save yourself now.’
The play follows Bert (played by Tom) a scientist from the future who travels 150 years back in time to the 1939 world fair in New York where he falls for bookkeeper Carmen
The Oscar winner has not received the glory he is used to on the red carpet as critics have branded the play ‘dull’ and just plain ‘bad’ (Tom and Kelli pictured on opening night)
Tom and director Kenny Leon address the audience during The Shed 2025 Gala and opening night of This World Of Tomorrow at The Shed on Tuesday
Tim Teeman from the Daily Beast scathingly wrote: ‘Tom Hanks finally does something bad.
‘While Hanks’ affable charm remains intact, chemistry-wise the characters seem more buddies than would-be lovers.
‘Occasional, portentous speeches by Hanks about history and ideals suggest the play wants to say something bigger, but it ultimately retreats from doing so.
Peter Hempstead from Theatre Mania said: ‘This World of Tomorrow feels very yesterday.
‘It traffics in familiar rom-com tropes that we’ve seen in the likes of Groundhog Day and in Back to the Future – which would all be fine if it managed to make those old chestnuts new.
‘Instead, it gets muddled in fuzzy scientific rigamarole and explanations of time travel that stretch out the run time to an eyelid-drooping two hours and 15 minutes.’
The New York Theatre said that while the play ‘fell short’ it many ways, it was saved by Tom’s performance.
‘The show has its charms; how could it not, when it’s a romance starring Tom Hanks and Kelli O’Hara?
‘There is a simple, unexpected pleasure in just being able to see Hanks’ reactions whenever he’s on stage – to see how engaged he is even when he doesn’t have any lines to say.
‘The production offers the rare thrill not only of watching this beloved movie star in person, but of seeing something of his that feels almost homespun.’
Katie Holmes attended the play’s opening night on Tuesday
Kayli Carter played Virginia, Carmen’s loud-mouthed niece. She cut a stylish figure in a plunging sheer black dress as she posed on the carpet
The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee gave the play a generous three star rating, calling it ‘breezily enjoyable’.
He wrote: ‘Hanks, who was last on the New York stage in Nora Ephron’s 80s-set newsroom drama Lucky Guy, develops real last-act chemistry with O’Hara, who manages to perfect period intonation without becoming schtick-y.’
Melissa Rose Bernado of the New York Stage Review also awarded the show three stars and says to ‘go for Hanks and stay for O’Hara’.
Alison Considine of the New York Theatre Guide lauded the play for its ‘touching love story’
She added: ‘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.’
