The Baker's Wife

The Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a short run but, while establishing a dedicated cult following, has not been produced on Broadway. Background The musical theater rights of the Marcel Pagnol's 1938 film were originally optioned in 1952 by producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin. Composer Frank Loesser and librettist Abe Burrows, who had worked with Feuer and Martin on Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying were attached as authors. The production to star Bert Lahr, however, never materialized. Nearly a decade later Zero Mostel was named to take the lead. By 1976 the rights had devolved to producer David Merrick. The production by Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein toured the United States for six months in 1976, undergoing major retoolings along the way. It played the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in May 1976 and also the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC. (in November 1976). Topol as the baker Aimable, was replaced by Paul Sorvino during the last two weeks of the Kennedy Center run, and his wife Geneviève was played by Carole Demas who was eventually replaced by Patti LuPone. The production never reached Broadway, the authors having pulled out of the production in the try-out process. Productions After hearing the song Meadowlark countless times in auditions, director Trevor Nunn persuaded the authors to mount a production. The Baker's Wife, starring Alun Armstrong and Sharon Lee-Hill, premiered at The Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, Suffolk from October - November, transferring to the West End, Phoenix Theatre on November 27, 1989, and closed on January 6, 1990, after 56 performances. This production, too, was ill-fated: though reviews were strong and audience reaction positive, the production was steadily losing money. According to Carol De Giere: "While reviewers offered praise, audiences were small and the show closed after only 56 performances. Schwartz explains, 'The major thing that was wrong was that it was just too long.'... Nunn comments 'Every performance there had a standing ovation, which is not at all normal in the English provinces.'" Bowing to financial reality, the show closed prematurely, but received the Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Musical of the Year.