Search - Stephen Schwartz :: The Baker's Wife: A Comedy Musical (1990 Original London Cast)

It depends on why you want to buy this album

David W. Eggebrecht | 06/03/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Everything depends on why you want to buy this album. If you ever heard the original with Patti LuPone and Paul Sorvino, you may be disappointed. Personally, I worked on a production with Stephen Schwartz in the early 80's - when he added the song "Bread" and a few others. I recollect that it brought down the house. So, I thought I would track down a copy of the London cast to see what else was added to the production. Alas, even with new songs, this particular recording is thin in sound. LuPone and Sorvino had a real bell-like clarity in the original cast recording. Nonetheless, if you want all the songs, then the London cast is the way to go. Just pretend they are two different shows."

Still a great show

David W. Eggebrecht | Mequon, Wisconsin USA | 05/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the revised London production of THE BAKER'S WIFE three times while I was living there when it opened, and I loved it more every time. The score, I believe, is one of Schwartz's best, and the cast is wonderful. Alun Armstrong is superb as the Baker. The tunes are memorable and will live in your head for a long time. It's worth the money.



David Eggebrecht"

Still Not Perfect

Steven M. Duncan | Bellevue, WA United States | 02/06/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Baker's Wife is Stephen Schwartz's Fidelio - despite years of work and many revisions, it just doesn't work. It's too bad, because the story (drawn from a 1938 Marcel Pagnol film) is delightful and the sensibility, though somewhat old-fashioned - and that may be the ultimate problem right there - I find quite satisfying. As one who has performed in one of the later incarnations of this show, I can only say that it is a favorite of mine and I wish Schwartz well in his ongoing attempts to improve it.



This London cast recording, though it has some nice moments and some excellent music that was later cut from the show, is clearly very rough, containing many mistakes. Further, the actors have thick british accents and pepper their dialogue with anglicisms that one would never hear in Provence, the location of the story and something absolutely essential to it. Save your money and go see a live production of the show. It's still not perfect, but it is definitely better than this version of the Baker's Wife."