Ariana DeBose Returns to the Stage in Rare Off-Broadway Production of The Baker’s Wife

Ariana DeBose is heading back to her roots.

The actress will star as Geneviève in the Classic Stage Company’s new production of Joseph Stein and Stephen Schwartz’s 1976 musical The Baker’s Wife. Additional casting and creative team details will be announced at a later date.

Directed by Gordon Greenberg, the revival will run Off-Broadway at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater from Oct. 23 through Dec. 14. Opening night is set for Nov. 11.

This is DeBose’s first stage role since making history in 2022 as the first openly queer Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story.

It’s also the first full-scale New York City production of The Baker’s Wife ever. Though the show developed a cult following over the decades thanks to its score — particularly the now-iconic “Meadowlark” — it never made its way to Broadway, closing after a legendarily troubled out-of-town tour that ran just six months.

That makes DeBose’s return all the more exciting. “It’s been 8 years since I’ve been in a show,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m thrilled to be coming back to the theatre, to my roots, in this one with Stephen Schwartz and Gordon Greenberg to shape and mold my Genevieve, Meadowlark and the gorgeous world of The Baker’s Wife!”

Based on the 1938 French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono, The Baker’s Wife fittingly follows a young baker, Aimable, and his wife, Geneviève, who move to a quiet French village that has been without a baker for weeks. But when temptation stirs and hearts wander, the whole town gets caught up in what an official synopsis dubs, “a swirl of romance, mischief, and melody.”

Stein (Fiddler on the Roof) penned the book, while Schwartz (Wicked) penned the music and lyrics.

DeBose, 34, nabbed a Tony nomination for her star turn as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and originated roles on Broadway in Hamilton, A Bronx Tale, Motown the Musical and Bring It On: The Musical. She also starred in Pippin and hosted the Tony Awards three years in a row, earning two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety Special.

Recent screen credits include Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S., Disney’s animated musical Wish, Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, Blumhouse’s House of Spoils, Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!, Ryan Murphy’s The Prom and the Prime Video adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta opposite Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.

She most recently starred alongside Ke Huy Quan in the action-romance Love Hurts and will next appear in Lear Rex and Tow, the latter of which she also executive produces.

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“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 Schwartz. “Plus, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her sing ‘Meadowlark,’ so I know CSC audiences are in for a treat.”

Added Greenberg: “Ariana DeBose brings an electric mix of vulnerability, wit, and star power to Geneviève — 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.” 

PEOPLE caught up with DeBose back in May 2025, where she opened up about how she was hopeful about returning to the stage soon.

“I’m looking for something special,” she said. “I have a lot on my bucket list of things I want to do; plays, new musicals. But I love revivals, because I really believe in taking some of these texts and these properties that we know and love and seeing them through new eyes from the standpoint of the world we’re living in today. I think there’s a lot that we can learn from that. So I think that might be what I try next.”

For tickets to The Baker’s Wife, visit CSC’s website.