Jon Bernthal is preparing to make his Broadway debut in a new adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon, a project he describes as both “audacious” and “sacred” given the legacy of Sidney Lumet’s 1975 film. Rehearsals are underway in New York City as the production heads toward previews on March 10th at the August Wilson Theatre.
Bernthal will portray Sonny Wortzik, the desperate bank robber famously played by Al Pacino. The play, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, is not a direct adaptation of the film, but rather a reimagining of the true story of John Wojtowicz’s 1972 attempted robbery of a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn, undertaken to fund his partner’s gender-affirming surgery. Bernthal emphasized the play’s exploration of love and identity, calling it “an absolute celebration of love that knows no boundaries.” He also noted the play’s relevance to contemporary issues, drawing parallels to events like the Minneapolis protests and confrontations with law enforcement, suggesting it examines “how mob mentality can effect real-life violence.”
Director Rupert Goold, known for his work on 2019’s Judy and the 2024 Broadway production of Tammy Faye, has compared Bernthal’s presence to that of Marlon Brando, praising his ability to convey a “bruised masculinity.” Bernthal has built a career playing tough characters, including the Punisher in Marvel’s television series, but he sees Sonny as a departure. “Unlike Bernthal’s mercenaries, Sonny fumbles with his gun, has a bleeding heart, and lays his vulnerabilities bare,” the New York Magazine article states.
Guirgis, whose plays often focus on characters on the fringes of New York City life, including 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner Between Riverside and Crazy, is incorporating elements of the film while also forging new ground. He acknowledged an “unspoken contract” with the audience to include the core elements of the story – the bank robbery, its failure, and Sonny’s iconic “Attica!” shout – but is also expanding on the characters, and relationships. He is still refining the script even as rehearsals progress, stating, “We’re in rehearsal, but I’m writing it, I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Bernthal’s path to Broadway is rooted in his early theatrical training. He studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School and co-founded a Brechtian theater troupe in New York City in 2001. He hadn’t performed onstage in years when Guirgis invited him to a reading of the play at the Ojai Playwrights Conference in 2022. The experience was particularly meaningful as it marked the first time his children had seen him act. The play evolved through subsequent readings over the next two years.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who won an Emmy Award for his role in The Bear, will co-star as Sal, the accomplice played by Jon Cazale in the film. Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach have a long-standing professional relationship; Moss-Bachrach was Bernthal’s understudy in a 2003 Off-Broadway production of Fifth of July, and Bernthal later cast Moss-Bachrach in The Bear as the brother of his character. Bernthal described Moss-Bachrach as “completely unpredictable” and praised his ability to bring a unique quality to his performances.
Bernthal contrasted the rehearsal process for Dog Day Afternoon with the demands of film and television work, noting the more consistent schedule and the opportunity to inhabit the character in a more sustained way. He acknowledged feeling both excited and apprehensive about taking on the role, stating, “I would like to say I turn it off when I abandon, but I don’t, and I am not really interested in that. I think Sonny’s terrified. He’s desperate and finding his way. And that’s exactly where Jon is right now.”