The stars have been friends for more than 20 years

Smaller, a play about schoolteacher caring for her disabled mother, will be directed by the actress Kathy Burke.

French was last seen on stage in 2003 in the one-woman play My Brilliant Divorce while Moyet has appeared as Mama Morton in the musical Chicago.

Smaller will tour England for six weeks before opening for a run at London's Lyric Theatre on 28 March.

The two stars have been close friends in real life since the 1980s.

French will play the part of the teacher in Smaller.

Moyet will get a chance to showcase her vocal skills in the role of a singer who has ended up working on the Costa Del Sol.