Kenny Leon to direct 'Our Town' on Broadway in 2024

The director, who is currently represented on Broadway with a revival of Ossie Davis's Purlie Victorious, will present Thornton Wilder's classic next fall.

This is Leon's town. A new Broadway revival of Our Town, directed by Kenny Leon, is set to open in 2024. Dates, casting, and venue have yet to be announced.

Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the cycle of life and death through neighbors George Gibbs and Emily Webb. Their childhood friendship turns into a romance until Emily dies in childbirth, forcing them both to reckon with their time on Earth.

"Thornton Wilder’s Our Town - in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American theatre," said Leon in a statement. "I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of the Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet."

Revivals have become Leon's specialty as of late. His currently-running revival of Ossie Davis's Purlie Victorious received critical acclaim, and his production of Topdog/Underdog in fall 2022 won the Tony Award for Best Play Revival. Leon won Best Director of a Play for his 2020 revival of A Soldier's Play (which also won Best Play Revival), and he also staged an Ohio State Murders revival with Audra McDonald.

For Our Town, Leon's creative team will include scenic designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Allen Lee Hughes, sound designer Justin Ellington, dialect coach Kate Wilson.

This Our Town production will be the play's fourth Broadway revival, and the first since 2002. It is not the same as a planned revival announced in 2020, with Dustin Hoffman attached to star. That production did not come to fruition.

Photo credit: Kenny Leon. (Photo courtesy of production)