Cedric the Entertainer on August Wilson; Plus: A New Vampire Musical and Seattle Arts

Cedric the Entertainer in "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (photo by Julieta Cervantes); Dane Laffrey and Michael Arden on the set of "The Lost Boys" (photo by Matthew Murphy)

Offscript

May 1, 2026 American Theatre Editors Leave a comment

Cedric the Entertainer Finds His Song, ‘Lost Boys’ Raises the Stakes

The comic actor talks about his role in August Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,’ director Michael Arden and designer Dane Laffrey talk vampire musicals, and Gemma Wilson gives us the Seattle 411.

By American Theatre Editors

Offscript is American Theatre ’s flagship podcast , available wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts ).

This month’s episode kicks off with director of publications Kelundra Smith’s chat with Cedric the Entertainer, who stars as Seth Holly in the new Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone , who talks about the flow of Wilson’s words and the closeness of the Great Migration. Then editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt talks to director Michael Arden and set designer Dane Laffrey, the team behind last year’s Tony-winning Maybe Happy Ending , who’s just opened the lavish new musical The Lost Boys , based on the 1980s vampire film. They talk about the worlds their shows create, and about putting all of their big budget onstage by opening the show directly on Broadway. Finally, Weinert-Kendt joins managing managing editor Jerald Raymond Pierce for a check-in with Seattle Times theatre critic Gemma Wilson , who tells us all about what’s popping on Pacific Northwest stages.

You can download the episode  here . If you have any feedback or suggestions for Offscript, please reach out to  at@tcg.org .

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August Wilson Cedric the Entertainer Dane Laffrey Gemma Wilson Joe Turner's Come and Gone Michael Arden The Lost Boys The Rescues The Seattle Times

_Originally reported by [American Theatre](https://www.americantheatre.org/2026/05/01/cedric-the-entertainer-finds-his-song-lost-boys-raises-the-stakes/)._