Jon Bernthal has adjusted the pacing and emotional layers of his Sonny Wortzik during the ongoing Broadway engagement of Dog Day Afternoon.
The production opened March 30, 2026, at the August Wilson Theatre for a limited run ending July 12, 2026. It marks Bernthal’s first appearance on a Broadway stage and pairs him with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who also makes his Broadway debut in the Stephen Adly Guirgis adaptation of the 1975 Sidney Lumet film.
The show draws from the real 1972 bank robbery in Brooklyn that inspired the original movie. Bernthal plays the lead role of Sonny, the volatile and desperate figure at the center of the hostage situation.
The production received three Tony Award nominations in 2026, including a Distinguished Performance nomination for Bernthal. The recognition came after critics noted the sustained energy required to play the part eight times a week.
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach ignite the stage with grit, heart, and humor.
— Sarah Thompson, Theater Critic at The New York Times
Bernthal has described the shift from screen work to live performance as a process of recalibration. He has spoken about learning to sustain intensity across repeated shows while responding to each audience’s reactions in real time. Those nightly variations have allowed small changes in delivery and physical choices to emerge as the run continues.
Co-star Moss-Bachrach has echoed the same point about the live format, noting that the two actors test new rhythms during previews and continue to refine moments well after opening. The result is a performance that has grown more specific without losing the raw edge required by the material.
TheaterMania’s March 31, 2026 review highlighted Bernthal’s command of the stage from the first preview onward. Observers at later performances have remarked on tighter comic timing and clearer emotional transitions, changes consistent with an actor settling into a long-form stage role.
The limited engagement leaves little room for further major alterations, yet Bernthal has indicated that each week still brings incremental discoveries about Sonny’s contradictions. Those discoveries remain visible to audiences through the final performance on July 12.
