Julianne Moore is Mona, a mousy suburban housewife who yearns to perform a small but crucial role in her New Jersey hometown’s latest musical theater production. Paul Giamatti is Jerry, the gruff veteran director who must coax Mona to let out her inner diva. Proust said that between lovers, sooner or later every lie becomes true. In The Debut, his sharp, funny follow-up to his Oscar®-nominated A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg aims the sentimental clichés he loves about theatrical performance in order to get at the truth within. In addition to writing the screenplay and directing the film, Eisenberg composed the show’s music and lyrics. Moore and Giamatti lead an excellent ensemble of performers, including two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters, Broadway stalwart Craig Bierko, Halle Bailey, Cara Buono, and Eisenberg in a cameo, in a true rarity: a pleasing piece of light entertainment with a head on its shoulders and plenty of heart. —Larry Gross
RAFAEL 1: Live Conversation with Talent
RAFAEL 2 & 3: Simulcast Rooms
SEQUOIA 1: Simulcast Room
SEQUOIA 2: Live Intro with Talent
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
ELKS LODGE | 7:00 - 10:00
1312 MISSION AVENUE • SAN RAFAEL
Director/s
Jesse Eisenberg
An acclaimed actor who received a Best Actor Oscar® nomination for his role in The Social Network (2010), Jesse Eisenberg is also a writer and director who made his feature debut with When You Finish Saving the World (2022) and went on to make A Real Pain (2024), for which he was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar® and won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. The Debut (2026) is his third feature.
Expected Guests
JESSE EISENBERG: Director
Tickets
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