West End Wednesday: THE BAKER’S WIFE
The Baker’s Wife is a 1976 musical by Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein. The musical is, in turn, based on the 1938 French film of the same name. The story tells of a village scandal in the Provençal village Concorde, where the wife of the local baker falls in love with a shepherd and leaves the Baker to be with him. The baker, heartbroken, can no longer bake and the villagers set out to reunite the pair in an attempt to restore order to the village.
The rights to the musical adaptation of the film were originally optioned by the team behind Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, with Zero Mostel set to star, however, the production never came into fruition. The rights were then obtained by producer David Merrick, who alongside composer Stephen Schwartz and book writer Joseph Stein, set out to bring The Baker’s Wife to the stage.
After development, the team toured the production around North America for six months in 1976. As well as stars ranging from Topel to Patti LuPone being involved, the musical was retooled the entire time. The production never reached Broadway.
Director Trevor Nunn decided to contact the authors in a bid to remount the production after he’d heard the song ‘Meadowlark’ several times whilst auditioning various shows. Nunn’s persuasive tactics were successful and production starring Alun Armstrong and Sharon Lee-Hill, directed by Nunn, opened at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich in October 1989. The production transferred to the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End later that month, opening on the 27th. Although the reviews and the audience reaction were positive, the production failed to find an audience and the production began to quickly haemorrhage money. The decision was made to close the production on 6 January 1990 after only 56 performances. Although, the premature closure did not prevent the show for being nominated for Best New Musical at the Oliviers that year.
After a production in 1997 in Connecticut directed by Scott Schwartz (Stephen Schwartz’s son), the musical was reworked and opened at The Papermill Playhouse in 2005. The production starring Alice Ripley and Max Von Essen received rave reviews with demands of a Broadway transfer. The production also received a successful revival in 2011 at The Union Theatre starring Lisa Stokke and Michael Matus. The production was directed by Michael Strassen and again received rave reviews.
If you haven’t listened to The Baker’s Wife Besties, or the iconic ‘Meadowlark’ get on it, it’s an absolute must for this gorgeous lesser-known musical!
FACTS:
Music: Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: Joseph Stein
Theatre: The Phoenix Theatre
Run: 27 November 1989 – 6 January 1990 (56 performances)
OLIVIERS:
(NOMINATED) Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical – Alun Armstrong, Set Design – John Napier
