Sentence:  "What followed this decision was exactly what we had expected: Mr. Fox, realizing that the public was tiring of Theda Bara in vampire roles, announced that he would <WSD>star</WSD> her in a production of Romeo and Juliet," she illustrated. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To feature (a performer or a headliner), especially in a movie or an entertainment program.