Julianne Moore returns to New York stage in Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Faydra’ at Manhattan Theatre Club

 

Julianne Moore returns to New York stage in Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Faydra’ at Manhattan Theatre Club

Academy Award-winner Julianne Moore will return to the New York stage in the world premiere of “Faydra,” a daring new play by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Les Waters. 

The strictly limited Manhattan Theatre Club engagement begins February 2, 2027, at New York City Center Stage I. Opening night is set for Thursday, February 25, 2027. Tickets are currently available exclusively to Manhattan Theatre Club subscribers and patrons.

A Greek myth reimagined

In “Faydra,” Aphrodite lets loose an arrow of love, and nothing is ever the same. The target of Faydra’s sudden, all-consuming desire is her soon-to-be stepson, setting in motion a provocative contemporary reimagining of a classic Greek myth.

Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist and Tony Award-nominee Sarah Ruhl, “Faydra” explores the perilous gap between logic and longing, centering a woman who refuses to deny her desire. Tony Award-nominee Les Waters directs.

“There’s nothing like watching a homegrown Manhattan Theatre Club commission become a magnet for talent,” said MTC Artistic Director Nicki Hunter. “Sarah Ruhl’s bold, funny, and devastating reimagining of this classic tale will draw the immensely gifted Julianne Moore back to the stage, and mark Les Waters’s return to MTC after three decades.”

A major reunion for Moore, Ruhl, and Waters

Moore, whose celebrated screen career includes “Still Alice,” “Far from Heaven,” “The Hours,” “Boogie Nights,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “May December,” returns to live theater for this highly anticipated world premiere. Her performance in “Still Alice” earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The production also reunites Ruhl and Waters, longtime collaborators whose work together includes “Eurydice,” “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday,” and the Tony Award-nominated “In the Next Room (or the vibrator play).” Moore previously worked with Waters in Caryl Churchill’s “Ice Cream with Hot Fudge” at the Public Theater in 1990.

Additional casting and creative-team announcements for “Faydra” will be revealed at a later date.

“Faydra” performance details

• Play: “Faydra”
• Playwright: Sarah Ruhl
• Director: Les Waters
• Starring: Julianne Moore
• Venue: New York City Center, Stage I (131 W. 55th Street)
• First performance: February 2, 2027
• Opening night: February 25, 2027
• Tickets: Available now for MTC subscribers and patrons; inquiries can be made through the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050 or via Manhattan Theatre Club.

Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2026–27 season

Under Artistic Director Nicki Hunter and Executive Director Chris Jennings, the Manhattan Theatre Club continues its longstanding commitment to bold new work, artist development, and theatrical stories that move beyond the stage. “Faydra” joins an ambitious 2026–27 Manhattan Theatre Club season spanning Broadway and Off-Broadway, including:

• “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Whitney White, beginning September 8, 2026, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

• “The Unbelievers” by Nick Payne, directed by Knud Adams and starring Lauren Ambrose and Tom Riley, beginning October 13, 2026, at New York City Center Stage I.

• “Awake and Sing!” by Clifford Odets, directed by Tyne Rafaeli and featuring Danny Burstein, Micaela Diamond, Jessica Hecht, Will Pullen, and Jeremy Shamos, beginning previews December 15, 2026.

• “Montauk,” a world premiere by David Hare, directed by Daniel Sullivan and starring Laura Linney, opening spring 2027 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.