Ethan Slater's MARCEL ON THE TRAIN Will Make World Premiere at Classic Stage Company
The season also includes The Baker’s Wife and The Emporium.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 12, 2025
Classic Stage Company has announced its 2025-26 Season, which will include a new production, co-written by and starring Ethan Slater.
CSC’s season will begin in October 2025 with The Baker’s Wife, featuring a book by Tony Award winner Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), music & lyrics by Oscar, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, The Queen of Versailles), based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Gionoand, and direction by Gordon Greenberg (The Heart of Rock and Roll).
In February 2026, CSC will present the World Premiere of Marcel on the Train, co-written by Tony Award nominee Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants, Wicked) & Marshall Pailet (Who’s Your Baghdaddy, Private Jones), directed by Pailet, and starring Slater as “Marcel Marceau.”
CSC’s season will conclude in May 2026 with the New York Premiere of master American dramatist Thornton Wilder’s final play, The Emporium, adapted and completed by Kirk Lynn (Lipstick Traces) and directed by Rob Melrose (Born with Teeth).
“This season at CSC is about looking deeper rather than looking back,” says Producing Artistic Director Jill Rafson. “I love that all of our shows are about filling in the missing pieces of great classic stories: a long-awaited major New York production for a gorgeous, underappreciated musical; a highly theatrical look at the origins of a legendary figure; and a play that completes the unmatched body of work of one of the most celebrated American writers of all time. There’s a fresh urgency to all of these pieces today, and I know that they will thrive in CSC’s incredibly special space.”
“Launched in 1947 amid a storm of rising acclaim and honorable artistic duties and distractions here and abroad, Thornton Wilder (who appeared on the cover of Time in January 1953) struggled unsuccessfully for a decade to complete a major new drama. Thanks to enticing and regular press coverage, its title was known far and wide: The Emporium,” said Tappan Wilder, nephew to Thornton Wilder.
“The Wilder family can’t be too grateful to Kirk Lynn for exploring the known published and little-known vast unpublished archival record of this work, grounded in Wilder’s passionate post-WWII encounter with existentialism, and then agreeing to complete a play exploring the loneliness of the American experience in all its humor, sadness, hope--and freedom. With a deep bow of thanks to Classic Stage Company, it is no small benefit of this unusual artistic collaboration across the decades that it celebrates the life, times and creativity of two distinguished artists, then and now.”
CSC will also continue the Rediscovery Readings series throughout the season, this year celebrating the art of suspense.
Performance schedules, casting and full creative teams will be announced at a later date.
CSC has also introduced the CSC FlexPass, offering exclusive access to secure guaranteed seats before the general public, with the freedom to choose your seats and performance dates across all three productions. Offered at two tiers, FlexPass holders also receive free entry into all Rediscovery Readings, the exclusive ability to exchange your tickets free of charge for another performance up to one week before your selected performance date, and a full slate of perks including discounts on merchandise and at local businesses. To purchase a FlexPass, visit Classicstage.org/flexpass-info for more information.
THE BAKER’S WIFE
Book by Joseph Stein
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono
Directed by Gordon Greenberg
October – December 2025
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 Baker’s Wife is presented by special arrangement with the Menier Chocolate Factory (David Babani, Artistic Director) and Creative Partners Productions.
This production of The Baker’s Wife was licensed by Music Theatre International.
The World Premiere of MARCEL ON THE TRAIN
By Ethan Slater & Marshall Pailet
Directed by Marshall Pailet
Starring Ethan Slater as “Marcel Marceau”
February – March 2026
History remembers Marcel Marceau as the world’s greatest mime. But before the spotlight, he was a young man in Nazi-occupied France, guiding Jewish children to safety with nothing but courage and imagination. In the shadows of World War II, Marcel on the Train reveals the man behind the invisible mask. Co-written by and starring Tony Award® nominee Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants, Wicked), this inventive new play shows us how, sometimes, the loudest resistance begins in the most quiet places.
Marcel on the Train is presented by special arrangement with Mix and Match Productions.
The New York Premiere of Thornton Wilder’S THE EMPORIUM
Adapted and Completed by Kirk Lynn
Directed by Rob Melrose
May - June 2026
More than 75 years in the making, an unfinished work by one of America’s greatest dramatists takes the New York stage at last. The Emporium unveils Thornton Wilder’s final play, brought to life through playwright Kirk Lynn’s masterful completion. As a young man journeys through the city and beyond, he encounters a world of wonder, meaning, and the elusive truths of life itself. Wilder’s long-unseen masterpiece is finally ready to be discovered, offering a rare chance to experience a new work from a legendary voice.
REDISCOVERY READINGS
This season, the Rediscovery Readings celebrate the art of suspense. From mysteries that grip you from the first line to thrillers that leave you guessing until the final word, each one-night-only staged reading offers an unforgettable experience, with electrifying stories brought to life by some of theater’s top talent. Secrets will surface. Twists will unfold. Anything can happen, but you’ll have to be here to see it.
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