EXCLUSIVE: Scott Bakula is taking a leap, quantum or otherwise, into a gig that might come as a surprise to his TV fans: The NCIS: New Orleans star will make his LA Opera debut this fall in a production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide that also stars Broadway’s triple-Tony winning powerhouse Patti LuPone.
Francesca Zambello’s production will return to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for six performances from November 21 through December 13, conducted by LA Opera Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados and also starring tenor Duke Kim in the title role and soprano Meghan Picerno as Cunegonde.
Bakula will take the dual role of Voltaire and Dr. Pangloss, with LuPone reprising her celebrated 2004 performance as the Old Lady.
“Scott Bakula is a consummate performer whose extraordinary career has moved effortlessly between theater, television, film and music,” said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s President and CEO. “His wit, warmth and musicality make him an ideal fit for Candide, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to LA Opera.”
Best known for his TV roles in Quantum Leap, NCIS: New Orleans, Star Trek: Enterprise and Men of a Certain Age, Bakula began his career on the stage and has appeared in Broadway musicals three times. He made his Broadway debut in 1983 starring as Joe DiMaggio in the musical Marilyn: An American Fable. In 1988, he received a Tony Award nomination for his starring role in Romance/Romance.
More recently he starred opposite opposite Ariana DeBose in Classic Stage Company’s 2025 Off Broadway production of The Baker’s Wife. Other stage credits include Off Broadway’s The Connector and regional productions of Man of La Mancha and 2024’s Mr. Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. He also starred in Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl, Shenandoah at Ford’s Theatre and the critically acclaimed 1985 Off Broadway and Los Angeles productions of 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down.
His Candide character of Voltaire is the author of the satirical 1759 novel that inspired the musical, while as Dr. Pangloss is Candide’s relentlessly optimistic tutor, who insists despite mounting evidence to the contrary that we live in “the best of all possible worlds.”
Bakula will next be seen opposite Michelle Monaghan as Coach Brody Hansen in the upcoming Netflix series The Sticks, set to premiere in 2027.
Bernstein’s Candide is a comic opera-Broadway musical hybrid, with songs including the showstopper “Glitter and Be Gay” and the finale “Make Our Garden Grow.” The musical’s book is by Hugh Wheeler, adapted from Voltaire’s 1759 novel, in a new version by John Caird.
Director Francesca Zambello’s production was first seen at LA Opera in 2018. James Noone is the scenic designer, with costumes by Jennifer Moeller, choreography by Eric Sean Fogel and original lighting design by Mark McCullough, recreated by A.J. Guban. Jeremy Frank is the director of the LA Opera Chorus.
The six performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion will be on November 21, November 29, December 2, December 5, December 10 and December 13.