Romantic Musical Satisfies Audiences’

Appetites in Florissant

                                   by Pat Lindsey

“The Baker’s Wife” is a heartwarming “romantic musical” as comforting as a cup of tea and a warm loaf of bread. Set in the quaint village of Concord in Provence, France in 1935, “The Baker’s Wife” is a fairytale-like story about the importance of community and how one little change can affect everyone in town. It features a large cast of Hawthorne Players in the cozy confines of the Florissant Performing Arts Center.

Much of the action takes place in the village square, where Denise the waitress (Lisa Rosenstock) serves everyone, including her grumpy husband, Claude (Robert Doyle). Everyone is at wit’s end because their one and only baker has suddenly died and they have been without bread for several weeks. They are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new baker, Aimable Castagnet (Kent Coffel) and his young bride, Genevieve (Heather Matthews).By the time Aimable and Genevieve finally arrive and stoke up the oven at the bakery, the townspeople have already begun gossiping about the couple’s age difference. The gossip, however, does not stop them from swooning over Aimable’s wonderful baked goods and warm bread.

Aimable adores Genevieve and often tells her that he loves her. She smiles at him, but never acknowledges that she loves him, too. Genevieve wants to be a faithful wife, but she knows she’s beautiful and attractive to younger men, especially Dominique (John Kuehn), who sweeps her off her feet by singing “Serenade.” Lust overtakes them and Genevieve runs off with Dominique one night, leaving Aimable to oversleep and burn all the bread in the oven. Aimable is so distraught for having lost Genevieve that he can no longer bake nor can he face the townspeople with the truth. Instead of telling them that she ran off with another man, he tells them that she’s visiting her mother. The gossip mill begins again.

While witnessing the personal problems of a few, the audience becomes aware of how judgmental people can be, how old grudges can be forgiven, and that a second chance is possible. This story, written by Joseph Stein (“Fiddler on the Roof”), does have a happy ending, but there are many beautiful songs by Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Wicked”) to experience before you get to it. One of the most memorable songs is “Meadowlark” beautifully sung by lovely Heather Matthews (Genevieve). Lisa Rosenstock (Denise) is a vocal standout with “Chanson.” Ken Coffel (Aimable) is a believable baker when he sings, “If I Have to Live Alone.” The priest, played by Hawthorne favorite Ken Clark, sings the reprise of “If It Weren’t for You.”

“The Baker’s Wife” should give local audiences a renewed appreciation for community theater. It has come a long way, baby. Not only does it have good entertainment value, but it practices what it preaches. This show is actually an example of what can happen when a community works together. In addition to 18 cast members, it can boast an orchestra directed by Lexy Witcher, a clever set with lighting and costumes, choreography, and a director (Stephanie Merritt) who put a lot of heart into this production. It was really wonderful to see the pure joy on the actors’ faces when they took their curtain calls. They deserved the rousing standing ovation they received on opening night.

“The Baker’s Wife” will be presented at the Florissant Performing Arts Center at three  more performances on Fri. Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.,  Sat., Nov. 15 at 7:30 p..m. and Sun., Nov. 16 at 2:00 p.m.   For tickets, call the box office at 314-921-5678. Prices range from $20-$25.

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