Baker's Wife

[jdrye222]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 6:42pm

So, as someone who isn't a big Schwartz fan...

I would MUCH rather see a Broadway production of "Baker's Wife" than of "Godspell".... The score for "Baker's Wife" is his best. And it is a much more interesting show. "Godspell" is drivel. (Similarly, I'd much rather see Kander and Ebb's "The Visit" hit Broadway than a revival of one of their other shows)...

Also - I want an excuse to have a better cast recording of "Baker's Wife" with a better cast and orchestration. The first one is a really wretched depiction of the score itself, which is gorgeous.

[bernadettelupone17]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 7:00pm

Patti LuPone said it best when she said that the it has an absolutely beautiful score, but the show is deeply flawed itself. The book is a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up. If someone would deeply revise the book, it could be wonderful.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 7:07pm

You're half-right.... I don't know if it is a big mess, but I do think it needs revision ... But many shows have been revised for this kind of thing.... In any case, I wish I could hear a recording of the version they did at the York Mufti series a few years ago --- As I recall, it was only 2 (maybe 3) musicians and a perfect cast (with the exception of Renee Goldsberry who was not quite right). I would love to see it with that York cast (Max von Essen, Lenny Wolpe, Gay Marshall) plus Kelli O'Hara or Laura Benanti as Genevieve.

[littlegreen2]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 7:34pm

I think the music is wonderful, but I agree that the book definitely needs revision. Beautiful material, though.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 8:43pm

Out of curiosity, what specifically makes the show a mess?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 8:45pm

Out of curiosity, what specifically makes the book of the show a mess?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 8:47pm

Meadowlark is an absolutely stunning and beautiful song. I have not heard anything else from the show though. The only things I know about it come from LuPone's memoir.
I'm not a Schwartz fan at all, but I would take pretty much any of his other shows over Godspell.

[bernadettelupone17]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 9:02pm

To MattBrain: The writing and the structure of the show is pretty weak. The focus shifts constantly. It's kind of like Women on The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, but Women was pretty enjoyable.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 10:14pm

Ah, so you mean from Aimable to Genevieve to the townspeople? Like that, pretty much?

[newintown]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 9:15am

I find the townspeople to be an embarrassing collection of unfunny types rather than characters. The central trio present a good timeless tale, but a story too drab for a big musical by themselves alone. However, adding a bunch of schticky village idiots isn't the way to fill the show out.

Personally, I love the original orchestrations and hearing Paul Sorvino sing it in a way that Topol never could have. But having suffered through the entire show in two other productions, I can't see it ever working as a whole.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 2:13pm

I've seen the show, and it is terrible. The book is a bore, and the score has one great number, Meadowlark, and a lot of Schwartz schlock. Get a copy of Liz Calloway singing Meadowlark, and let it go at that.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 4:22pm

It's a terrible story. Most Happy Fella light.

I do like the score and the original cast recording, but the best song, Meadowlark, doesnt belong in the show. It makes Genevieve sound stupid and she's not a likeable character to begin with.

She clearly didnt learn a thing from her "favorite story".

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 5:06pm

This is a show that's near and dear to my heart. I did it in college and loved every second of it.

The story has its charms, but it's not realized in the book (though there are certainly more successful shows with books far worse). I think the score, however, is an absolute gem...and Schwartz's best. I'm not quite sure, doodle, why you think she doesn't learn a thing from her 'favorite story'. The lark chooses duty over of life of excitement and dies. Genevieve won't make the same mistake.

The only problem I have with the score is Where is the Warmth? Terrific song...but the character needs a greater impetus to return to Aimable. And the song needs to rival Meadowlark in depth and intensity.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 8:04pm

I agree that Genevive's decision to return to her husband doesn't make sense within the context of the show.

Some of the lyrics are huge clunkers, too, but I guess that's to be expected with any Schwartz show.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 9:04pm

I can really only stand one song in this show and it's not Meadowlark. That's unusual for me considering I like most of his stuff.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 11:14pm

^ It's Endless Delights, isn't it?

[mallardo]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 6:27am

Reprise in LA is doing it next season. No casting yet.

[ajh]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 8:32am

Absolutely agree that a Broadway outing for this would be more welcome than a Godspell revival. I saw the London production about 20 years ago, and found it delightful. Although Sharon Lee-Hill (Trevor Nunn's then-wife, prompting some wags to dub the show "The Director's Wife") made a slightly dull Genevieve, and Drue Williams looked stunning but couldn't really act as the young lover, the supporting cast of villagers was made of an interesting and colourful array of character actors who really brought the script to life, and Alun Armstrong was heartbreaking as Aimable. As I remember the book was a bit twee but it certainly wasn't embarrassing, and the cast were such fun to watch that the whole thing made for a really enjoyable night out.
I think it's failure in London was partly due to the fact that the fashion at the time was still very much for bombastic, "serious" shows like Les Mis, Saigon, Phantom...and they never got the marketing right (the show logo was a twee-looking cat in pink and turquoise set against a white background) so it looked as though they were advertising a patisserie or something.
If revisions were made to the book I think this could be a real crowdpleaser; with that score it's more than halfway there already. Plus the Wicked fans would probably flock to it just because of who it's by.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 11:13am

I clearly miswrote my comment about Meadowlark. I really just meant that it just seems silly that her childhood favorite story exactly parallels her life. It's just so pat.

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 3:36pm

I really don't have a feel. I saw the 1976 LA CLO production with Topol while a teenager - and all I recall is that I was bored pretty much from start to finish. I can't remember any songs. And I've never had a desire to see what happened to the show after that LA production.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 11:58pm

I love love love the score. Actually I love half of the score--the songs preserved on the original truncated cast album are nearly all perfect to me. And I like a few left off, liek Bread, but I think nearly all of the other songs for the townsfolk, added to the Nunn UK version aren't particularly good, and add nothing to the show, and I dislike many of the new lyrics.

Nunn himself said after, that the show might work best as an intimate, short, TV musical focusing on just the main characters--and I agree. I get that they want to convey the atmosphere of the town, but all the side stories, etc, do nothing.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 12:38am

I'm no huge Schwartz fan, but I'm a bit surprised by people who think it has one good song. I think nearly every song that was included on that original recording is a gem, some lyrics aside, although I still think the revisions were largely worse. (OK I knwo the recording was done by that couple on a shoestring budget, in a poor studio and we should be thankful, but some of the sound issues are so random--like Meadowlark where Patti's voice is almost too loud causing some distortion and then suddenly goes all quiet like she's a room away...)

I know some of the lyric changes were done to make things more real--ie in Proud Lady he no longer says I'm in love for the 41st time or whatever, but I think ti works more as a short, basic, story.

Particularly Chanson, Proud Lady, Gifts of Love, Serenade, Endless Delights and If I have to Live Alone are all songs I might even prefer to the slightly overplayed Meadowlark. On the other hand, I can't think of any other songs on the London cast album I much like (I do have that four track recording of Bread and some other chorus songs Schwartz did in the 70s himself with a piano, and like I said Bread is fine, though has some typical Schwartz forced lyrics that I dislike).

How was the Papermill production? Max von Essen is pretty great singing Proud Lady (new lyrics) in this clip from it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw_H1kZ97Pg

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 10:40am

Romance is probably my favorite of the 'other' songs. And Any Day Now Day is a terrific way to start Act 2. The rest are at the very least, tuneful.

I, for one, find the original lyrics to Proud Lady more enjoyable (if less 'real') than the revisions.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 11:10am

I do love Ripley, but I found her renditions of the songs a bit harsh and her accent just odd. When did Genevieve become Italian?

I'm not bashing her whole performance, which wouldnt be fair...I've only seen the youtube clips.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/22/11 at 2:34pm

I adore "Chanson."

I actually agree that it's dumb how "Meadowlark" fits her situation exactly. I think that I prefer it out of context, like sung in a concert, because it's pretty much a story unto itself.