Joe Keery is entering an exciting new chapter in his career as he prepares to make his Broadway debut in Other Desert Cities, a family drama that brings together an impressive ensemble of performers and explores the complicated relationships that can exist between parents, children and siblings.
Best known for playing Steve Harrington in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Keery has developed a career that extends well beyond television. Alongside his work as an actor, he has established himself as a musician under the name Djo, earning international attention with songs that have connected with audiences across streaming platforms and social media.
His Broadway debut represents another opportunity to challenge himself creatively. In Other Desert Cities, Keery plays a character who initially appears to be a confident, polished Hollywood personality but gradually reveals a deeper motivation: keeping his family together despite disagreements and painful revelations about the past.
Keery has jokingly described his objective for the production as saving Christmas, reflecting the character’s desire to prevent a family gathering from collapsing into conflict.
Written by Jon Robin Baitz and directed by John Benjamin Hickey, the play features Keery alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney, Ed Harris and Lily Rabe. With a celebrated cast and an emotionally complicated story, the production offers Keery a chance to demonstrate his abilities in front of a live theatre audience.
The play is scheduled to open at New York’s Hudson Theatre on October 18, with performances planned through January 17.
For Keery, the production also marks a return to a form of performance he has wanted to explore again after years of working in film and television. Yet preparing for Broadway has required him to manage a demanding schedule that includes acting commitments, rehearsals and an increasingly successful music career.
Joe Keery Steps Onto Broadway With Other Desert Cities
Keery’s decision to join Other Desert Cities was an opportunity he found difficult to refuse.
Although audiences around the world know him primarily for his television work, acting on stage has been an important part of his creative background. He developed an appreciation for theatre while growing up and continued exploring the discipline during his drama-school years.
After establishing himself through Stranger Things, he became interested in returning to the stage and experiencing the particular challenges of performing live.
Broadway offers a very different environment from television production. A television scene can be filmed several times, edited and assembled during post-production. A stage performance, by contrast, unfolds in real time, requiring actors to maintain concentration, timing and emotional consistency throughout each show.
For Keery, Other Desert Cities provided an opportunity to work in a theatrical setting while sharing the stage with several performers he admired.
He recalled that the initial reading included Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney and Ed Harris. Learning that he could work with such an accomplished group made accepting the opportunity an easy decision.
The production’s combination of an established script, an experienced creative team and a strong cast offered an appealing way for Keery to reconnect with theatre.
The play is particularly demanding because its emotional stakes develop through conversation, family history and disagreements over personal responsibility. Rather than relying on elaborate action, the drama builds through what characters reveal, what they conceal and how their relationships change as the story unfolds.
Keery’s role places him at the centre of those family tensions, making the production an important test of his ability to sustain a character across an entire live performance.
What Is Other Desert Cities About?
Other Desert Cities is a family drama written by Jon Robin Baitz that examines the consequences of long-held secrets and the difficult choices people face when personal history becomes public.
The story centres on a family gathering during the holiday season. Keery’s character visits his conservative parents alongside his sister, played by Lily Rabe.
The visit takes a dramatic turn when his sister brings a copy of a book she has written about the family’s past. The book contains revelations that could damage her parents’ reputations, forcing her to confront the question of whether she should publish it.
She wants their blessing, but obtaining it is complicated by the painful material she has chosen to reveal.
Her parents, played by Louis-Dreyfus and Harris, must confront the possibility that their daughter’s account will expose private experiences and cast them in an unfavourable light. Allison Janney plays Louis-Dreyfus’s sister, adding another layer to the family’s complicated relationships.
Keery’s character becomes an intermediary as disagreements intensify. He is caught between relatives who have different understandings of their shared history and conflicting ideas about what it means to protect a family.
At first glance, he may appear to be the smoothest and most socially confident member of the group. Beneath that exterior, however, is someone who wants to prevent the family from falling apart.
That motivation helps explain Keery’s humorous description of his mission to save Christmas.
The character’s challenge is not simply to stop an argument. He must navigate competing perspectives on loyalty, truth, artistic expression and the consequences of exposing painful memories.
The play’s central conflict raises questions that extend beyond its fictional family. How much does a person owe their relatives when telling their own story? Should family loyalty take priority over the freedom to speak openly about the past? And can people preserve their relationships when their memories of important events differ?
These questions give the production emotional depth while providing the actors with opportunities to explore complicated motivations.
Working With Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney and Ed Harris
One of the biggest attractions of Other Desert Cities for Keery was the opportunity to perform alongside an ensemble of highly experienced actors.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is widely recognised for her work in television comedy, including Seinfeld and Veep. Her performances have demonstrated a remarkable ability to combine sharp comic timing with characters who possess complicated personal and professional lives.
Allison Janney has also built a distinguished career across television, film and theatre. Known for performances that range from comedy to drama, she brings extensive experience to roles that require both emotional precision and a strong stage presence.
Ed Harris, meanwhile, has earned recognition for his work in films and television projects that frequently demand controlled, intense performances.
For an actor making his Broadway debut, sharing a production with performers of this calibre can be both exciting and challenging.
Keery has acknowledged that the prospect initially felt almost overwhelming. However, the atmosphere of a stage production eventually helped him move beyond the sense of working alongside famous names.
He explained that once the actors are performing together, the experience can feel surprisingly similar to being in a school play.
That comparison reflects an important aspect of theatre: the success of a production depends on collaboration rather than individual celebrity.
Each performer must listen carefully, respond to other actors and contribute to the overall rhythm of a scene. Even an actor with an extensive list of film and television credits must remain attentive to the work happening around them.
Keery’s comments suggest that the shared commitment to the production has helped create a working environment in which everyone focuses on telling the story.
He also described theatre as a setting where performers need to leave their egos behind. The discipline requires each member of the cast to contribute to a collective performance rather than treat the stage as a competition.
That attitude is particularly important in a family drama, where the relationships between characters must feel believable even when the dialogue becomes confrontational.
Lily Rabe’s Role in the Family Conflict
Lily Rabe plays Keery’s sister, whose book becomes the catalyst for the play’s central conflict.
Her character arrives at the family gathering carrying more than a manuscript. She brings a different interpretation of the family’s history and a willingness to reveal information that others may prefer to keep private.
The decision to seek her parents’ approval before publishing the book adds another dimension to the conflict.
On one level, she wants to tell her story and preserve her right to interpret her own experiences. On another, she appears to want some form of recognition from the people whose lives are described in the book.
That tension creates a difficult situation for the family. Her parents may feel betrayed by the prospect of public exposure, while she may believe that keeping quiet would mean sacrificing her own perspective.
Keery’s character becomes an important figure in this disagreement because he wants to preserve family relationships without necessarily being able to resolve the underlying conflict.
The situation gives the actor an opportunity to explore the difference between maintaining peace and confronting the truth.
Avoiding an argument may provide temporary relief, but it cannot necessarily solve the problems that caused the disagreement in the first place.
The play’s dramatic tension emerges from the characters’ attempts to determine whether family loyalty requires silence or whether genuine relationships must allow room for difficult conversations.
Rabe’s character therefore serves as the force that brings hidden tensions to the surface, while Keery’s character tries to prevent the resulting confrontation from becoming irreversible.
Together, the performances help establish the emotional foundation of the production.
Joe Keery’s Biggest Challenge: Learning a Broadway Role
One of the most demanding parts of preparing for Other Desert Cities has been learning the dialogue and making it feel natural.
Keery has described a process in which memorising lines is only the first step. Once an actor believes the dialogue has been learned, rehearsal reveals how much more work is required to deliver it convincingly.
The challenge becomes particularly significant when a role includes a substantial monologue.
Keery has one of the production’s standout speeches, in which his character reflects on the love that exists within the family despite the constant arguments.
The speech also questions whether his sister’s book accurately represents the people she describes and whether the artistic value of revealing the truth can justify the harm it may cause.
For the character, the issue is deeply personal. He is not simply defending his parents or criticising his sister. He is trying to preserve a family relationship that he believes still has value, even when its members are unable to agree.
Preparing for the speech required close collaboration with director John Benjamin Hickey.
Keery has explained that physical movement plays an important role in his memorisation process. Rather than remaining seated and repeating lines mechanically, he often walks around while speaking to himself and rehearsing.
This approach helps him connect the dialogue with the character’s physical and emotional experience.
Learning a long speech for live theatre involves more than remembering the words in the correct order. An actor must also understand the character’s objectives, emotional shifts and reactions to the people around them.
The performance must feel spontaneous even though the dialogue has been rehearsed repeatedly.
That balance becomes particularly important when a scene includes complex arguments or emotionally revealing moments.
Keery’s preparation reflects the discipline required for Broadway, where a performer must deliver the material consistently across numerous performances while remaining responsive to the other actors.
Balancing Broadway With a Successful Music Career
Keery’s theatrical debut comes during a busy period in his career as a musician.
Under the name Djo, he has released music that has attracted a growing international audience. His song End of Beginning became especially popular after gaining traction on TikTok and climbing the Billboard Hot 100.
The track’s success introduced his music to listeners who may have known him primarily as an actor.
For Keery, maintaining both careers means moving between very different creative environments.
Acting requires him to inhabit characters and respond to scripts, directors and fellow performers. Music allows him to explore songwriting, recording, performance and the development of his own artistic identity.
Both disciplines demand significant preparation, but their schedules can be difficult to combine.
In early 2026, Keery toured Mexico and South America before going on to open for Tame Impala. He also completed the United Kingdom leg of his own tour shortly before beginning rehearsals for the Broadway production.
The transition was particularly demanding.
Keery described finishing a performance commitment on Sunday, flying the following day and beginning rehearsals on Tuesday.
Such a rapid changeover left little time to adjust between touring and preparing for live theatre.
He acknowledged experiencing some initial whiplash during the first week or two as he adapted to the new routine.
Nevertheless, he approached the situation as a challenge he needed to manage rather than a reason to abandon either commitment.
The experience illustrates how modern entertainers increasingly move between different areas of the industry. An actor may also release music, tour internationally and take on live stage work, each requiring a different set of skills and professional responsibilities.
The key challenge is finding a sustainable balance that allows each project to receive the attention it deserves.
Djo and the Success of End of Beginning
Keery’s musical identity as Djo has become an important part of his public career.
Although he first gained widespread recognition through acting, his work as a musician has developed its own audience and identity.
End of Beginning became a major breakthrough, attracting attention through social media and streaming services. Its popularity demonstrated how a song can find a new audience long after its original release through online discovery and viral trends.
TikTok played an important role in the track’s wider visibility, helping listeners share clips and connect the music with their own experiences.
The success also created a different relationship between Keery and his audience.
Fans who initially discovered him through Stranger Things could explore his work as Djo, while music listeners could become interested in his acting projects.
However, maintaining a music career involves more than releasing successful songs.
Touring requires travel, rehearsals, live performances and coordination with a team. Recording new material also demands time for songwriting, experimentation and production.
These responsibilities can compete with the schedules associated with television, film and theatre.
Keery has not established a precise formula for balancing acting and music in the years ahead. Instead, he intends to continue pursuing both, allowing individual opportunities to determine how his schedule develops.
That approach gives him flexibility while acknowledging that each project requires a substantial commitment.
Life After Stranger Things: Choosing New Challenges
As Stranger Things moves into the later stages of its story, Keery is considering what comes next in his acting career.
His portrayal of Steve Harrington helped make him a familiar face to audiences around the world. The character evolved significantly throughout the series, developing from a popular high-school student into a more protective and emotionally mature figure.
The role gave Keery opportunities to combine comedy, action and drama while building a character whose relationships changed over time.
However, the actor has also worked on independent films and appeared in the television series Fargo, demonstrating an interest in projects outside the world of Hawkins.
Rather than mapping out a list of dream roles, Keery has said that he continues to look for work that feels fresh and challenging.
He recognises that actors do not have complete control over which opportunities become available. Casting decisions, production schedules and the preferences of filmmakers all influence what a performer can ultimately pursue.
Instead of trying to predict every step of his career, he prefers to trust his instincts about the projects that interest him.
That philosophy could allow him to move between different genres and formats without feeling obliged to repeat the success of a single character.
Broadway is an example of that willingness to explore unfamiliar territory.
The production demands a different kind of preparation from television and film, placing him in front of a live audience and requiring him to maintain the performance night after night.
For an actor seeking new challenges after a long-running series, theatre offers an opportunity to develop skills that may also influence future screen performances.
Sadie Sink Encouraged Keery to Try Broadway
Keery is part of a wider group of Stranger Things performers who have explored theatre in New York.
Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke and other cast members have pursued stage opportunities alongside their screen careers.
Sadie Sink, who returned to Broadway in 2025 in John Proctor Is the Villain, encouraged Keery to consider the experience.
Her own work on stage offered an example of how performers associated with a major television series can continue developing their craft in a different setting.
Broadway can be demanding, but it also offers actors the opportunity to work with experienced theatre professionals and connect directly with audiences.
Unlike a filmed performance, which is preserved and edited into a final version, a live stage production changes slightly from night to night. Audience reactions, timing and the energy of the cast can influence the experience.
That unpredictability is part of the appeal.
For Keery, making his Broadway debut is not simply another credit to add to his résumé. It is a return to a form of performance he has wanted to pursue again since his earlier theatrical experiences.
Working with a respected cast and creative team has given him a compelling reason to take that step.
What Comes Next for Joe Keery?
Keery’s Broadway debut represents a new chapter in a career that increasingly crosses the boundaries between acting and music.
With Other Desert Cities, he is taking on the challenge of live theatre while working alongside an accomplished cast. The production requires him to memorise demanding dialogue, explore complicated family relationships and deliver a consistent performance across an extended run.
At the same time, his identity as Djo continues to grow following the success of End of Beginning and his international touring commitments.
Rather than choosing one discipline over the other, Keery intends to continue working in both acting and music. The exact balance will depend on the projects that interest him and the opportunities that become available.
His approach also reflects an important point about careers in entertainment: professional success does not necessarily require following a single predictable path.
An actor who becomes known through television can move into film, theatre, songwriting and live music, using each experience to develop different skills.
For Keery, the next stage appears to be about experimentation rather than attempting to reproduce the same success repeatedly.
His Broadway debut offers a chance to reconnect with his theatrical roots, while his music career gives him another way to express his creativity.
Whether his future schedule is dominated by acting, touring or a combination of the two, Keery has made clear that he wants to continue following opportunities that challenge him.
For now, his immediate mission is to help bring Other Desert Cities to life on the Broadway stage—and, as he jokingly puts it, to save Christmas one performance at a time.