Fresh off the biggest honor of his Broadway career, Joshua Henry is bringing his celebration to Dallas.
Henry will perform with the Plano Symphony Orchestra in “Get Up, Stand Up!” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 15, at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The concert will be Henry’s first since winning the 2026 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for playing Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime.
“This will be my first concert after winning a Tony Award,” Henry told KRLD’s John Liddle. “It’s very exciting for me to just celebrate with a new audience.”
Henry says the audience should not expect a traditional sit-down symphony performance. The program will combine Broadway favorites, R&B, soul and plenty of audience participation.
“I love to get people celebrating,” Henry said. “I like to get people off their feet and in the moment.”
The concert will feature Henry’s soulful arrangements of classics including “Summertime” and “Feeling Good,” along with music from shows that helped define his Broadway career.
Henry spent about a year and a half playing Aaron Burr in productions of Hamilton in Chicago and California. He also plans to perform music from Waitress, including “You Matter to Me,” a song he says carries an especially important message.
“I love to let people know that they’re not alone,” Henry said. “It’s equal parts celebration, sing-along.”
He is also promising to give the Meyerson audience a crash course in soul music.
“I’m going to give you three foolproof ways to fake your way to doing soul music,” Henry joked. “Trust me, I got you.”
A Tony moment shared with family
Henry won his first Tony Award in June for his performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the Broadway revival of Ragtime. The American Theatre Wing named him the year’s best leading actor in a musical.
Henry said the moments after presenter Darren Criss called his name remain vivid.
“Everything went in slow motion,” Henry said. “Everyone stood up in that theater, and I knew I belonged there in the theater community.”
His wife, children, siblings and first voice teacher were there to share the moment.
“It was a magical night,” Henry said.
During his acceptance speech, Henry reminded his children that awards come after years of practice, failure and perseverance. He told KRLD those lessons began with his parents, who taught him that the value of hard work does not depend on recognition.
“You practice hard and you serve even when there’s no applause,” Henry said. “That’s something that I want to give my boys.”
Finding hope in Ragtime
Henry said fatherhood has also deepened his connection with Coalhouse Walker Jr., whose hopes for his young family drive much of Ragtime.
He described Coalhouse as a character filled with “ferocious dreaming” and an enduring belief that a brighter future remains possible.
“What are we without hope?” Henry said. “If we’ve lost our ability to dream of a better outcome, a brighter day ahead, we have lost.”
Henry said performing “Wheels of a Dream” allows him to bring together his faith, his own experience as a father and his belief in looking toward a future that cannot yet be seen.
The next conversation
Henry is already looking beyond Ragtime. He and Julia Harriman have co-written a new musical called The Conversation, which will begin an Off-Broadway engagement this fall under the direction of Tony Award winner Kenny Leon.
The contemporary musical explores relationships and the words couples say—or leave unsaid—as they build a life together.
Henry, who has been with his wife for 20 years, said the story examines the conversations that can deepen relationships and break destructive patterns.
Musically, the show moves into a different world from Ragtime, using the pop, soul and R&B sounds Henry and Harriman grew up loving.
“It doesn’t shy away from any of those hard things that we have to say, or the things that we don’t say,” Henry said. “I can’t wait for audiences to hear this incredible, banging score and a story about what connection can really mean.”
Before that next chapter begins, Henry says Dallas has a celebration coming.
“August 15 is going to be a party,” Henry said. “I’m due for a celebration. Bring some dancing shoes.”
Event details
What: “Get Up, Stand Up! Joshua Henry in Concert with the Plano Symphony Orchestra”
When: Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas
Conductor: Héctor Guzmán
