Prairie Fire Theater is putting final touches on its summer mainstage production, running next week at Illinois Wesleyan University.
The Baker's Wife is a little-known musical by some of musical theater's best-known writers: Joseph Stein [Fiddler on the Roof] and Stephen Schwartz [Wicked, Godspell].
True to its title, The Baker's Wife centers around a baker, Aimable, and his wife, Genevieve—plus their bread-loving little French village. The show premiered in London in 1989 and never made it to Broadway. And as far as anyone can tell, it's not been produced in musical-loving Bloomington-Normal either, until now.
A fixture in the Twin City theater scene since the 1980s, Pat Gaik suggested the obscure musical, which has recently resurfaced after a new production ran in London last year.
“I’ve known Baker’s Wife since probably the early ‘90s,” Gaik said. “I’ve loved it ever since I first heard it. The role of the baker was always on my bucket list. It was kind of on my backup bucket list because nobody ever does this show.”
Gaik pitched Prairie Fire producer Robert Mangialardi and director Rhys Lovell—who couldn’t say no.
“Pat pitched it to me, I read it, and was moved by it,” he said. “The music is delightful. If you know Stephen Schwartz, you will know musical motifs throughout this.”
Indeed, a close listen reveals habits Schwartz has sprinkled throughout his long catalog.
“Of course, the musical he’s best known for is Wicked,” Lovell said. “This is—not like Wicked.”
True, although Katherine Cosenza Starr, who plays Denise in The Baker’s Wife, said she hears similarities in her character and Glinda.
“It’s there, if you listen closely,” she said.
Starr is an opera singer “who wants to be included,” she said, and has enjoyed revisiting her musical theater roots with Denise.
“I like to think of her as sort of the narrator,” said Starr. “She knows all. She is the only character to break the fourth wall. And she has this opening song that kind of tells you the whole plot without revealing what happens. You will hear that song—a lot.”
The song is Chanson, which has several lines in French.
“I love singing it,” she said. “I sing in French, because, you know, opera thing,” she said. “So, it’s nice to see those worlds collide. I feel very at home.”
Mangialardi invited math teacher Beth Warden to audition. She knew Meadowlark, the show’s most popular song often performed in isolation at cabarets, but wasn’t familiar with The Baker’s Wife.
“I have recently been joining the musical theater scene in Bloomington-Normal and I was really excited to audition,” she said.
Warden said she “just wanted to be a part of it,” not expecting to land the role of Genevieve, who sings Meadowlark.
Whether guests come to The Baker’s Wife because they know Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, or the mid-century French film that inspired the musical, the company said the musical’s themes are what will resonate: connection, community and forgiveness.
“I love all of the stories that are told through the villagers and all the relationships we see evolve over time,” Warden said. “It is just this beautiful story of community.”
The Baker's Wife runs Aug. 14-17 in Westbrook Auditorium at Illinois Wesleyan University. Wednesday is a pay-what-you-may preview, with $25 tickets available online for Thursday through Sunday at prairiefiretheatre.org.
