Review: THE BAKER'S WIFE, Menier Chocolate Factory

Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein’s adaptation of the 1938 film La Femme du Boulanger infamously never made it to Broadway following two tryouts (one including Patti LuPone). However, a short-lived yet Olivier-nominated West End run directed by Trevor Nunn followed in 1989 and the ballad "Meadowlark" remains an enduring favourite for audition songs.  Now a new production of The Baker's Wife comes to the Menier directed by Gordon Greenberg.

In a village tucked away in the French Provence, the villagers have gone for weeks without a baker and fallen into disarray. Their rejoicing at the arrival of baker Aimable and his much younger wife Genevieve quickly turns into fear when she runs away with local chauffeur Dominique and Aimable puts away his rolling pin as a result, trying everything they can to avoid returning to the old ways.

Some may question Joseph Stein’s book for focusing on the love triangle’s impact on the villagers and saving the interpersonal dynamics for a few fleeting moments. However, Greenberg’s direction kneads into the material that shows it runs deeper than frivolous neighbourhood gossip, finding the emotional weight to make it work. There are generation-long feuds they don’t know why they began. The women long for the passion and romance Genevieve pursues as they put up with casual misogyny. The opening of the bakery brings the community together which runs through the piece with wit and charm.

Paul Farnsworth’s set is immaculate, fully transforming the Menier into a sleepy French village. Every attention to detail can be felt as a cafe (where audience members can sit) and rustic boulangerie sit either side of the auditorium. This extra intimacy allows the audience to feel part of the community as well as Genevieve’s physical and mental suffocation as she wrestles with her feelings. Paul Anderson’s luscious lighting bathes it in sun-kissed golds and nighttime blues, and Matt Cole’s (Newsies) brisque choreography adds a joie de vivre.

Lucie Jones is a star as Genevieve. With a voice that soars like the meadowlark she laments, her captivating performance balances innocence with sensuality that makes her inner conflict feel relatable. Clive Rowe makes for a standout as Aimable. Kind-hearted and jovial, it’d be easy to cross into pantomime comedy in his drunken escapades, but he finds the pain lingering for losing the jewel he adores in his heartbreaking solo "If I Have To Live Alone". Joquin Pedro Valdes (Pacific Overtures) is appropriately cocky in his pursuits as Genevieve’s young suitor Dominique.

The phenomenal ensemble finds nuance in their characters who may have felt like cardboard cutouts in other hands. Michael Matus (who previously played Aimble in a production at the Union Theatre) is a riot as the comically loathsome Marquis with his trio of ‘nieces’ following him around. Finty Williams is a standout as meek Hortense who finds the courage to leave her husband Barnaby, played with belligerence by Liam Tamne.

Josefina Gabrielle sets the scene for the show as Denise with a lovely and yearning rendition of ‘Chanson’. Even real-life brothers Matthew and David Seadon-Young are a joy as the holier-than-thou Priest and local drunk who come to blows. 

A charming production that finds sweetness in its bitter themes of infidelity and forgiveness, The Baker’s Wife’s' message remains timeless. A gentler offering from Stephen Schwartz’s catalogue, this immersive show whisks you away to a time long past with a phenomenal ensemble who find the heart and soul in their characters. Perhaps the mistake made 50 years ago was attempting to bring The Baker’s Wife to a larger space. In the Menier’s intimate space, it makes for a real treat.

The Baker’s Wife runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory until September 14

Photo Credits: Tristram Kenton