Julianne Moore returns to off-broadway stage in Sarah Ruhl's 'Faydra'

Julianne Moore is heading back to New York theater for the first time in roughly two decades, taking the title role in the world premiere of Faydra, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. 

The Manhattan Theatre Club production is a modern reimagining of the Greek myth of Phaedra, centering on a woman who falls into consuming, forbidden lust for her soon-to-be stepson after Aphrodite strikes her with an arrow. 

Performances begin February 2, 2027, at New York City Center Stage I, with an official opening night set for February 25. Tony nominee Les Waters will direct.

Moore, an Academy Award winner for Still Alice with additional nominations for Boogie Nights, Far From Heaven, The End of the Affair and The Hours, got her start on stage before transitioning to a decades-long film career. 

She made her Broadway debut in 2006 in David Hare's The Vertical Hour, and later spent four years developing a stage workshop of Uncle Vanya with director André Gregory, a process that eventually became a film.

Manhattan Theatre Club artistic director Nicki Hunter called Moore's involvement a testament to the strength of Ruhl's script, saying in a statement that the play "will draw the immensely gifted Julianne Moore back to the stage." 

Further casting has not yet been announced.