New Delhi: Julia Roberts will return to Broadway after more than 20 years in a new production of Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds. Previews will begin at New York’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 18 February 2027, with the play officially opening on 18 March.
Small Mouth Sounds is set at a silent retreat in the woods. Six strangers arrive hoping to leave their problems behind and change their lives. They soon find that staying quiet is difficult.
Much of the play unfolds with little or no dialogue, the unusual structure placing greater emphasis on pauses, gestures, and what the characters choose not to say.
Roberts will play the character of Joan. American actor Paul Rudd will play Ned, English actor Martin Freeman will play Jan, actress Greta Lee will play Alicia, Sarah Paulson will play Judy, and actor and singer Isaac Powell will play Rodney. Joe Mantello will direct the production.
The star-studded cast brings together actors with extensive film, television and theatre credits.
Roberts’ Broadway return
Roberts last appeared on Broadway in Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain in 2006. The production marked her Broadway debut and also starred Rudd and Bradley Cooper. The play was directed by Joe Mantello.
Sarah Paulson last appeared on Broadway in Appropriate, which ran from December 2023 to June 2024. She won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance.
Rudd’s most recent Broadway appearance was in Grace in 2012. The production will mark Broadway debuts for Freeman and Lee.
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From Ars Nova to Broadway
Small Mouth Sounds was first staged at Ars Nova in 2015, with Rachel Chavkin directing. New York magazine, Vulture, called it “a terrific new play in a beautiful production”. Vanity Fair said the play “pushes the audience to confront how alone we actually feel”.
The 2027 production will mark the play’s Broadway debut.
Wohl’s other plays include Grand Horizons, Camp Siegfried and Liberation. Liberation won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.
Edited by Maryam Hassan