West Side Story Oscar winner, Broadway favorite, and frequent Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose will return to the New York stage this fall.
The triple threat will star in the title role of Classic Stage Company's revival of The Baker's Wife, which will open the Off-Broadway company's 2025-2026 season. Performances are scheduled for October 23-December 14 with an official opening November 11 at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater.
The upcoming production will mark the first full-scale NYC production of the 1976 Stephen Schwartz-Joseph Stein musical The Baker’s Wife, which famously closed before it officially opened on Broadway. Gordon Greenberg will direct the production, presented by special arrangement with the Menier Chocolate Factory and Creative Partners Productions. Greenberg also helmed a 2024 London revival at the Menier. The transfer continues a long relationship between the similarly situated companies, where John Doyle has frequently directed, also serving as artistic director of CSC.
"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 in a statement. “Plus, I've had the pleasure of hearing her sing 'Meadowlark,' so I know CSC audiences are in for a treat.”
Director Greenberg added, "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."
Based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Gionoand, the musical follows the arrival of a new Baker and his younger wife, who turn a provincial French village upside down. The Baker's Wife achieved cult status thanks to a cast recording that features cast members Patti LuPone and Paul Sorvino, and a score that includes "Meadowlark," "Gifts of Love," "Chanson," and "Proud Lady."
For her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, DeBose earned Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards. In doing so, she became the first openly queer Afro-Latina to receive an Academy Award. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, she hosted the Tony Awards, which earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety Special in 2023 and 2024. She also starred in both seasons of the critically acclaimed musical comedy series Schmigadoon! as well as Ryan Murphy's The Prom. On Broadway, DeBose was Tony-nominated for her role as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical; she was also part of the original cast of Hamilton, also appearing in the film adaptation for Disney+. Other stage credits include Pippin, Motown the Musical, Bring It On: The Musical, and Company.
A complete performance schedule, additional casting, and full creative team will be announced at a later date.
Visit ClassicStage.org. See photos from The Baker's Wife at the Menier Chocolate Factory below.
Clive Rowe in The Baker's Wife
Finty Williams and company of The Baker's Wife
Lucie Jones in The Baker's Wife
Lucie Jones and company of The Baker's Wife
Clive Rowe and Lucie Jones in The Baker's Wife
Lucie Jones and Clive Rowe in The Baker's Wife
Joaquin Pedro Valdes and Lucie Jones in The Baker's Wife
Lucie Jones in The Baker's Wife
Norman Pace in The Baker's Wife
Company of The Baker's Wife
Company of The Baker's Wife
Company of The Baker's Wife
Clive Rowe and company of The Baker's Wife
Lucie Jones and company ofThe Baker's Wife
