LUCKY MAN – A WARRIOR’S JOURNEY Opens Tonight at Gene Frankel Theatre

This June, Emmy and Golden Globe winner John Goodman and Evan Azriliant, in association with Without A Net Productions, will present Lucky Man – A Warrior’s Journey, a rock & "role" monologue written and performed by veteran actor and musician Thomas G. Waites, directed by Joe Danisi, with musical direction by Tony Daniels.

Lucky Man begins performances on June 5, 2025, officially opens on Wednesday, June 11 at 8 PM, and runs through June 22 at the Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, NYC).

Backed by his band Heartbreak Waites, Waites takes the stage in a deeply personal one-man musical memoir that chronicles his rise, fall, and redemption. The show begins in 1976, just after Waites was expelled from Juilliard's Drama Division, and fast-forwards two years to the height of his early success—with starring roles in On the Yard, The Warriors, …And Justice for All, and The Thing, working alongside Al Pacino, John Heard, Kurt Russell, and others.

As alcohol derails his career, marriage, and family, Lucky Man explores Waites’ eventual recovery through a twelve-step program, friendship, music, and the redemptive power of love. The piece is both heartrending and healing—filled with laughter and song.

“Lucky Man is the kind of story we all need right now—a raw, honest ride through darkness toward redemption. It's about falling down hard and getting up stronger. Thomas's journey is personal, powerful, and packed with heart. I'm proud to help bring it to the stage.” — John Goodman

Waites is joined on stage by Tony Daniels (Musical Director/Lead Guitar), Cedric Allen Hills (Keyboard, Percussion), and Annie McGovern (Vocals). Set design is by Elle Kunoss Devoss. The production is presented by Without A Net Productions.

Beyond his early film work, Waites has enjoyed a decades-long career in film, television, and theater. His television credits include Law & Order (appearing six times), The Punisher, Homeland, OZ, NYPD Blue, All My Children, and One Life to Live. On stage, he has appeared in American Buffalo opposite Al Pacino, Search and Destroy on Broadway with Griffin Dunne, and the cult musical Teaneck Tanzi with Debbie Harry. He also appeared in Awake and Sing! alongside Dick Latessa and Frances McDormand. Waites is the founder of the TGW Acting Studio, named the #1 acting school in NYC by Backstage.

With Lucky Man, he brings his own story to the stage—unfiltered, musical, and deeply human.

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