The Baker’s Wife – Montgomery Theatre
Sheffield Teachers’ Operatic Society have put on a wonderful production of this heart-warming comedy. Based on the French film, “La Femme du Boulanger” by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono with fabulous tunes by Stephen Schwatz and witty dialogue by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), the cast seem to enjoy themselves as much as the audience.
Director and Choreographer, Mark Harris starts proceedings with Denise (Judi Johnson Hart), the café owner’s wife, singing about how nothing is really different. Neighbours have their petty squabbles and long married couples have lost the spark in their relationships.
Soon a new baker arrives in town, however, with a beautiful young wife young enough to be this daughter. This inevitably gets tongues wagging.
With fresh bread, some of their troubles seem to be over. The beautiful wife, Genevieve, has attracted male attention though and a storm brews.
The acting is first rate and the two younger leads, the reliable Louise Radcliffe as Genevieve in good form and Neil Kirkman as her suitor Dominique giving it that showbiz pizzazz, have first rate voices.
Claude (Tony Gallagher), the café owner is hilarious as he leans back and delivers his philosophical musings on life, normally cut off with a witticism from his wife or another villager.
Martin Peacock, giving a strong performance as Aimable Castagnet, The Baker, delivers pathos and comedy in equal measure and really steals the show.
Laugh our loud moments include the Bread song as they savour it like chocolate. Not forgetting the girls in Romance, especially Hortense and Therese. Great stuff.
Stephen Grigg
The Sheffield Star
May 13th 2008
Audience Reaction
"Dear Judy and all the cast and crew of The Bakers Wife,
... congratulations on a fantastic show, I really enjoyed myself and was still humming all the melodies the next day! I will certainly be coming to watch Oliver!, as well as making sure all my friends come too!"
The Baker's Wife
Montgomery Theatre
Stephen Schwartz's 1976 musical, based on a 1938 French film La Femme du Boulanger, has always had a cult following but is hardly known, despite a string of first-rate songs from the composer/lyricist.
It never reached Broadway as Schwartz and his book-writer, Joseph (Fiddler on the Roof) Stein, pulled it at the end of a six-month run around America - initially with Topol as the baker and, eventually a then unknown Patti LuPone as the baker's wife.
When it got to the West End in 1990 it died again, despite being nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.
Musicals of lesser quality have caught on, this hasn't, although it has had sporadic, successful stagings like, in its homespun way, this Sheffield Teachers production by the multi-talented Mark Harris.
Martin Peacock, with an unassuming light baritone voice, was the middle-aged baker Aimable who arrives in a bread-starved 1930's Provencal village of forever bickering inhabitants - in South Yorkshire accents!
His much-younger new wife Genevieve catches the eye of the village lothario Dominique - Neil Kirkman contributing an impassioned Proud Lady, although with a tendency to shout top notes.
Ditto, the lady herself, Louise Radcliffe who otehrwise sang her big numbers, Gifts of Love, Meadowlark, Where is the Warmth? extremely well.
The part of Denise, the cafe owner's wife, was a gift for Judi Johnson Hart and the remaining 19 villagers, most with the character roles of substance, were all fine and sang three multi- polyphonic choruses, especially Bread, with admirable clarity.
Bernard Lee
Sheffield Telegraph
Friday May 16th