Ariana DeBose to star in Classic Stage Company's THE BAKER’S WIFE

Photo credit: Valerie Terranova

Classic Stage Company (CSC) has announced that Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose (Academy Award winner for playing Anita in Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story) will star as Geneviève in The Baker’s Wife at their Lynn F. Angelson Theater from 23 October-14 December.

Opening CSC’s 2025-2026 Season, The Baker’s Wife is a legendary musical written in 1976 that has never received a full-scale production in New York City. The musical features a book by Tony Award winner Joseph Stein, and music & lyrics by Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz, based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono, and direction by Gordon Greenberg.

A complete performance schedule, additional casting, and full creative team will be announced at a later date.

Composer Stephen Schwartz said": "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. Plus, I've had the pleasure of hearing her sing ‘Meadowlark’, so I know CSC audiences are in for a treat.”

Director Gordon Greenberg said: "Ariana DeBose brings an electric mix of vulnerability, wit, and star power to Genevieve - qualities that not only honour 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."

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 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.