The gluten-focused townspeople who populate the acclaimed Classic Stage Company revival of The Baker’s Wife will soon welcome a new denizen. Steve Rosen is set to join the cast of the Off-Broadway production beginning December 9 at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater.
Rosen—a playwright, lyricist, composer, and actor who has appeared on Broadway in the original casts of Monty Python’s Spamalot and The Farnsworth Invention and played Benny Southstreet in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls—will succeed Tony nominee Kevin Del Aguila (Some Like It Hot) in the role of Antoine. Del Aguila will play his final performance December 7.
West Side Story
Oscar winner, Broadway favorite, and frequent Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose stars as Genevieve, the musical’s title role, opposite stage
and screen star Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) as Baker Aimable Castagnet.
READ: After 45 Years, Scott Bakula Is Grateful for a 2nd Chance With The Baker’s Wife
Completing the company are Wendi Bergamini (New York, New York), Savannah Lee Birdsong (Little Shop of Horrors), Arnie Burton (Machinal), Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), Alma Cuervo (On Your Feet!), Bill English (Days of Wine and Roses), Zachary Freier-Harrison, Samantha Gershman (Water for Elephants), Nathan Lee Graham (Mid–Century Modern), Tony nominee Judy Kuhn (Fun Home), Sally Murphy (The Minutes), Manu Narayan (Company), Mason Olshavsky, Kevin William Paul (The Outsiders), Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen), and Hailey Thomas (Little Shop of Horrors).
Read reviews for the
starry production, which was recently extended through December 21, by clicking here.
The CSC production marks 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 directs the production, presented by special arrangement
with the Menier Chocolate Factory, Creative Partners Productions, and Aaron Glick.
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 an earlier 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, adapted from Jean le Bleu by Jean Giono, 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 Patti
LuPone and Paul Sorvino, and a score that includes “Meadowlark,” “Gifts
of Love,” “Chanson,” and “Proud Lady.”
The production also has choreography by Stephanie
Klemons, music direction by Charlie Alterman, set design by Jason
Sherwood, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Bradley
King, and sound design by Jason Crystal. Casting is by The Telsey
Office’s Craig Burns with production management by Libby JVera/LJPM.
Jason Weixelman serves as production stage manager.
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.
Bakula, who played Dominique in a 1980 production of The Baker’s Wife at the Cincinnati Playhouse, made his Broadway debut in 1983, starring as Joe DiMaggio in Marilyn: An American Fable. In 1988, Bakula was Tony-nominated for his work in the musical Romance/Romance. He last appeared on the New York stage, Off-Broadway, in The Connector. The actor may be best known for his five-year stint in Quantum Leap, earning a Golden Globe Award and four Emmy nominations. His numerous screen credits also include NCIS:
New Orleans, Behind the Candelabra, Men of a Certain Age, Looking, Star
Trek: Enterprise, Only Murders in the Building, Divinity, The
Informant, American Beauty, Life As a House, Color of Night, Necessary
Roughness, Sibling Rivalry, and more.
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