Julianne Moore is trading the screen for the stage once again. The Oscar winner, 65, will return to the New York theater scene in 2027 as the star of “Faydra,” a new play from acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl, Playbill reported on Monday, August 10.
A true Hollywood icon with a celebrated presence across both film and television, Moore has built a résumé that includes standout roles in “The Big Lebowski,” “Still Alice,” “The Hours,” and “May December.”
GettyShe won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in 2014’s “Still Alice.”
Julianne Moore Will Lead Sarah Ruhl’s New Play ‘Faydra’
The world premiere will be presented Off-Broadway by Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center Stage I, as per Playbill.
The role marks a notable theatrical comeback for Moore, whose last Broadway appearance came nearly two decades ago in David Hare’s “The Vertical Hour” in 2006.
“Faydra” puts a modern spin on the ancient Greek story of Phaedra, with Moore stepping into the title role.
Tony Award nominee Les Waters will direct the production. Waters and Ruhl have previously collaborated on plays including “Eurydice,” “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday” and “In the Next Room (or the vibrator play).” The project also brings Moore and Waters back together.
They previously worked together on Caryl Churchill’s “Ice Cream with Hot Fudge” at The Public Theater in 1990, as reported by New York Theatre Guide,
Audiences will not have to wait too far into 2027 to see Moore back onstage. The previews for “Faydra” are scheduled to begin February 2, 2027, with opening night set for February 25. Tickets are currently available to Manhattan Theatre Club subscribers and patrons.
Julianne Moore’s Stage Career Began Before Her Hollywood Success
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesMoore’s return to the stage also brings her career full circle. Before becoming a film and television star, she studied theater at Boston University and originally moved to New York hoping to build a career onstage. As per The Hollywood Reporter, she made her Broadway debut in “The Vertical Hour,” which opened in 2006. Her performance in “Faydra” will therefore mark her first major New York stage role in nearly two decades.
Speaking to Time in December 2006 ahead of her Broadway debut in “The Vertical Hour,” Moore explained why theater had taken a back seat for so many years.
“When I first came to New York, I had every intention of being a theater actor; it just didn’t turn out that way. I got more jobs in television and films. Frankly, I hadn’t seen anything that moved me,” she said.
GettyMoore recalled that director Sam Mendes sent her the script while she was working on a film, but she found herself unable to stop thinking about it.
“When Sam [Mendes] first sent the script to me, I was doing a film, I kept thinking about the play. I mentioned it to Kate [Winslet, Mendes’s wife] at our kids’ nursery school and the next day Sam showed up and said ‘If you can commit to Broadway right now, we’ll move it,’ and I said OK. The material was so compelling, so moving, so relevant. It’s unbelievable timely.”
What’s Next for Julianne Moore
Moore also has another major project on the horizon before her stage return. She will appear in “The Debut,” an upcoming film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, People reported in June 2026. The movie is expected this winter, adding another project to Moore’s busy schedule before she begins performances in “Faydra” next February.
For now, “Faydra” gives audiences something they have not had in years: the chance to see Moore command a New York stage again.
