Ralph Fiennes to star on stage as New York ‘master builder’

Ralph Fiennes will star as powerful New York urban planner Robert Moses in a new play by Sir David Hare.

Straight Line Crazy will run at the Bridge Theatre in London from March to June 2022 and is billed as a “blazing account of the life of a man whose iron will exposed the weakness of democracy in the face of charismatic conviction”.

Fiennes, 58, who plays spymaster M in the Bond film series and portrayed Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, will lead as Moses, who was known as the “master builder” of mid-20th century New York for his creation of new parks, bridges and hundreds of miles of roads connecting the city with its neighbouring counties.

Already a divisive figures, Moses faced growing opposition in the 1950s from those who disagreed with his vision of city planning.

The play will show how “though never elected to office, he manipulated those who were through a mix of guile, charm and intimidation”.

Straight Line Crazy will reunite Fiennes and Sir David with director Sir Nicholas Hytner, after the trio worked together on the play Beat The Devil, a monologue based on Sir David’s experience contracting coronavirus, last year at the Bridge Theatre.

Sir David is the author of more than 30 full-length plays and is a two-time Academy Award nominee for The Hours and The Reader. He was knighted in 1998.

A former artistic director of the National Theatre, Sir Nicholas was one of the developers of the Bridge Theatre and has directed plays there including Alan Bennett’s Allelujah! and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Performances will run from March 16 to June 18 2022 with opening night on March 23.