EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) will star as Geneviève in a rare revival of the Joseph Stein-Stephen Schwartz 1976 musical The Baker’s Wife this fall at Off Broadway‘s Classic Stage Company.
The revival – the first full-scale New York City production of the musical – will run from October 23 to December 14 at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater. Opening night is set for November 11.
A complete performance schedule, additional casting, and full creative team will be announced at a later date. The production was announced today by Classic Stage Company’s Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director.
Opening CSC’s 2025-2026 Season, The Baker’s Wife features a book by Tony Award winner Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), music & lyrics by Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Schwartz (Wicked, The Queen of Versailles), based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. Directing will be Gordon Greenberg (The Heart of Rock and Roll).
“Ariana is one of our finest young singing actresses, and I’m excited by the depth and nuance she will bring to the title role,” said composer Schwartz. “Plus, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her sing ‘Meadowlark,’ so I know CSC audiences are in for a treat.” (“Meadowlark” is the musical’s oft-covered most famous song, a staple in the repertoires of Patti Lupone, Sarah Brightman, Betty Buckley, Erika Henningsen and many others).
Director Greenberg said, “Ariana DeBose brings an electric mix of vulnerability, wit, and star power to Genevieve – qualities that not only honor Stephen and Joe’s beautiful work but also ignite it in thrilling new ways. She’s the kind of performer who makes you lean forward in your seat – not just because of her voice, which is extraordinary, but because of the emotional truth she brings to every moment. Watching her inhabit this role will be like discovering the character for the first time.”
The synopsis: “In a quiet French village, a baker and his wife bring fresh bread…and fresh gossip. But when temptation stirs and hearts wander, the whole town gets caught up in a swirl of romance, mischief, and melody. The Baker’s Wife brings Stephen Schwartz’s soaring score, including the iconic ‘Meadowlark,’ to life in its first major New York appearance. Sweet, surprising, and full of heart, this long-awaited production celebrates love in all its perfectly imperfect recipes.”
The musical originally toured the United States for six months in 1976, a legendarily troubled production, retooled constantly, that has long since entered stage lore. LuPone (who played Geneviève, opposite Topol, an actor she loathed, who played the baker) once told The New York Times, “Every time somebody joined the company, we looked at them and went, ‘Oh my God, what did you do that put you in the bowels of hell?’.” The production was closed by the authors and producer David Merrick before reaching Broadway, and has intrigued theater buffs ever since.
DeBose gained worldwide recognition for her Oscar-winning performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, becoming the first openly queer Afro-Latina to receive an Academy Award. DeBose most recently starred opposite Ke Huy Quan in Universal’s action-romance Love Hurts. Her upcoming feature film projects include Lear Rex and Tow, the latter for which she also serves as executive producer. Her other recent films include Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle (Apple/Universal), Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S., Disney’s 100th anniversary animated film Wish, Kraven the Hunter (Sony Pictures), and House of Spoils (Blumhouse/Prime Video). DeBose also recently wrapped production on the Prime Video series adaptation of Patricia Cornell’s Scarpetta, starring opposite Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.
In 2022, 2023, and 2024, DeBose hosted the Tony Awards, and also starred in both seasons of the critically acclaimed musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+) as well as Ryan Murphy’s The Prom (Netflix).
On Broadway, DeBose is perhaps best known for her Tony-nominated role as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and for being part of the original cast of Hamilton (she also appeared in the film adaptation for Disney+). Other stage credits include Pippin, Motown the Musical, Bring It On: The Musical, and Company.
The Baker’s Wife is presented by special arrangement with the Menier Chocolate Factory (David Babani, Artistic Director), Creative Partners Productions, and Aaron Glick.
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