(Scott Bakula (Aimable Castagnet), center, with the cast ofThe Baker’s Wife. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

by Tim Leininger

NEW YORK — Scott Bakula serves up a splendid performance in Classic Stage Company’s production of The Baker’s Wife, running through Dec. 21 at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater at 136 E. 13^th St. in New York City.

            With a book by Joseph Stein, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, choreography by Stephanie Klemons and directed by Gordon Greenberg, The Baker’s Wife is based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol, which in turn was adapted from “Jean le Bleu” by Jean Giono.

            The musical is essentially a fable about a small village in Provence, France. It’s 1935 and the village’s only baker has died. Several weeks have past and he villagers are chomping at the bit when the new one arrives in Aimable Castagnet (Scott Bakula). Aimable is a bit on the elderly side but makes the best bread anyone in the village has ever had, and oh, how I wish whoever did the aroma effects for Our Town last season was around to pump the smells of freshly baked bread into the house, as my mind was craving the smells as the first batch is presented.

With Aimable is his much younger, but genuinely tender wife, Geneviève Castagnet (Ariana DeBose). It isn’t long before a local cad, Dominique (Kevin William Paul) starts attempting to seduce her.

[(l-r) Ariana DeBose (Geneviève Castagnet) and Kevin William Paul (Dominique). Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.]

            The fallout of his actions coupled with her response creates a tumult in the town as they both disappear and the sober Aimable falls off the wagon in despair. The community, selfishly desiring Aimable’s amazing baked goods, must put aside their various feuds to work together to find Geneviève so Aimable can recover himself and get back to baking for them. Yes, the villagers are prone to selfishness, and that’s where the story feels like a classic fable or parable and why its simple narrative works. Though their motivations are initially selfish, they must learn to work out their own issues to be worthy of the talents of Aimable.

            The array of colorful characters is delightfully performed. There’s the pretentious Teacher (Arnie Burton), the pious Priest (Will Roland), and the philandering Marquis (Nathan Lee Graham), who are the three pillars of the village leadership, who are constantly at odds with each other. There’s Barnaby (Manu Narayan) and his wife Hortense (Sally Murphy), whom he is abusive toward. There’s also Claude (Robert Cuccioli) and Denise (Judy Kuhn), a couple who, though not abusive to each other, have gotten to a place of comfortability with each other that allows them to be overly insulting at times with what probably started as good-natured ribbing in their youth, but has evolved to something a bit more bitter.

            Though titled The Baker’s Wife, it’s these characters that are more important to the narrative of the musical as they must face their struggles, either romantically or politically, to grow beyond their limited view of the world. Geneviève and Dominique’s affair is only the catalyst that gets them moving toward becoming a better community, and Greenberg recognizes this, making sure that the casting of the ensemble is perfect to bring these stories to the fore. Cuccioli and Kuhn, in particular, have a great chemistry together, and Kuhn, who serves sort of as the show’s narrator as Denise, is delightfully charming.

[(l-r)Ariana DeBose (GenevièveCastagnet) and Scott Bakula (Aimable Castagnet) Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.]

            It’s not that Aimable, Geneviève and Dominique’s story isn’t important. It is in fact necessary for everything else to happen. I am thrilled to have Bakula back on the New York stage — he had taken a bit of a hiatus until he joined last year’s Jason Robert Brown musical The Connector at MCC. His physicality and emotional connection for Aimable feels effortless yet is packed with power and depth. His performance of “Any-Day-Now Day” — which has been moved to the finale of act one — is raucous yet gut wrenching.

            The one issue is Ariana DeBose and Devin William Paul, who didn’t seem to have any chemistry together. DeBose and Bakula do have a tenderness together in Aimable and Geneviève’s May/December relationship, but the youthful eroticism that should be there between Geneviève and Dominique feels forced. Most of this seems to be in the direction and acting of Dominique who ends up coming off as slimy and lascivious instead of seductive, which makes his song “Proud Lady” feel disjointed and out of place. Lyrically, the song feels like it’s trying to have its cake and eat it too, one part “Gaston” from Beauty and the Beast, but also “She Loves Me” from She Loves Me; fun but also slightly malevolent as he’s trying to steal away a married woman. Ultimately, he comes off so unlikable, that Geneviève’s succumbing to his wiles feels unearned.

            Aside from her lack of chemistry with William Paul, DeBose is mostly delightful. She successfully captures the bit of naivete that Geneviève has toward Dominique, and her “Where is the Warmth?” at the show’s finale is great. But her “Meadowlark” was a bit mixed, as she doesn’t have the power behind her voice to belt out the song as I’ve heard in other renditions, and when the song modulates near the end, she missed some of the notes in the transition the day I was in attendance.

[Ariana DeBose (Geneviève Castagnet) Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.]

            I love the show’s design, especially Jason Sherwood’s scenic design, putting the audience right in the middle of the town square with windows in various alcoves above the house where characters pop their head out to interact with the characters on the stage and a balcony for the Castagnet home. Catherine Zuber’s costumes were also fantastic feeling well worn and like a second skin on the characters.

            The Baker’s Wife may be my favorite Stephen Schwartz musical. It’s 47 years old, but it has a lot of character with a simple message about devotion to community and our partners in life. His music may not feel as lush as his later works like Children of Eden or Wicked, but it feels natural to the story. Though I found the direction and acting around Dominique inconsistent, the rest of the show is a delight, and for nothing else, go see Bakula give a bravura performance.

THE BAKER’S WIFE

TICKETS: https://www.classicstage.org/

PRODUCTION: Book by Joseph Stein; Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Choreography by Stephanie Klemons; Directed by Gordon Greenberg; Based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol adapted from “Jean le Bleu” by Jean Giono; Music Direction & Additional Arrangements: Charlie Alterman; Orchestrations: David Cullen; Music Coordinator: John Miller; Scenic Design: Jason Sherwood; Costume Design: Catherine Zuber; Lighting Design: Bradley King; Sound Design: Jason Crystal; Hair & Wig Design: Tom Watson; Props Supervisor: Kathy Fabian/Propstar LLC; Production Stage Manager: Jason Weixelman; First Assistant Stage Manager: Elizebath Allen; Second Assistant Stage Manager: Mickey Acton; Production Manager: Libby JVera/LJPM; General Manager: Kathryn McCumber; Casting: The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA; Press: Boneau/Bryan-Brown

CAST

Scott Bakula as Aimable Castagnet

Savannah Lee Birdsong as Simone

Arnie Burton as Teacher

Robert Cuccioli as Claude

Alma Cuervo as Therese

Ariana DeBose as Geneviève

Kevin Del Aguila as Antoine

Nathan Lee Graham as Marquis

Samantha Gersman as Inez

Judy Kuhn as Denise

Sally Murphy as Hortense

Manu Narayan as Barnaby

Mason Olshavsky as Phillippe

Kevin William Paul as Dominique

Will Roland as Priest

Hailey Thomas as Nicole