The Sweltering Heat of ’72

Based on the true-life 1972 Brooklyn bank robbery that transfixed a nation, Dog Day Afternoon makes its highly anticipated Broadway debut at the August Wilson Theatre. Set against the backdrop of a city on edge—haunted by the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal—the play follows Sonny Amato, a man pushed to the brink by love and desperation.

“Attica! Attica! We’re all in the bank today, and the whole world is watching.”

The Plot: A Heist Gone South

On a humid August afternoon, Sonny and his introverted partner Sal enter a Chase Manhattan branch with a plan that should have taken ten minutes. When they discover the armored truck has already cleared the vault, leaving only $1,100, the simple robbery spirals into a fourteen-hour media circus.

As the building is surrounded by NYPD and FBI, Sonny negotiates for the life of his partner, Leon, who is hospitalized after a suicide attempt and needs funds for gender-affirming surgery. What follows is a raw, darkly humorous, and gut-wrenching exploration of personal identity, the power of the media, and the thin line between hero and criminal.

The 2026 Broadway Cast