The rarity of The Baker’s Wife is reason enough to see the Hawthorne Players’ take on the show. An even better reason is the excellence of the Hawthorne production.

The setting is a small French village in the mid-1930s, where the arrival of a new baker causes plenty of excitement. His beautiful wife, Genevieve, causes plenty of chatter because she is much younger than her husband, Aimable. She is initially mistaken for his daughter.

Genevieve win an admirer in Dominique, the handsome driver of the village’s wealthy mayor. At first, she resists his advances, but the young man’s magnetism is too great for her to resist. Genevieve explains her decision to leave her husband in “Meadowlark,” the highlight of the score and one of the finest works by the show’s composer, Stephen Schwartz.

Heather Matthews makes this song the great moment it has to be. Her decisiveness at the number’s conclusion is compelling. Matthews and Kent Coffel as Aimable sing beautifully throughout. They give their characters fully believable emotional arcs that converge in a powerful conclusion. John Kuehn’s voice and stage presence are very impressive in his portrayal of Dominique.

The Aimable-Genevieve-Dominique love triangle is central to the book by Joseph Stein, but the villagers’ stories contribute as much to The Baker’s Wife’s appeal as the main plot, maybe even more. The love story is predictable and keeps Genevieve offstage for most of Act Two. The effects the baker’s arrival and his wife’s departure have on the village are the most imaginative parts of the show.

The Hawthorne production is remarkable for the meticulous attention given to every supporting role by the large, dedicated cast under Stephanie Merritt’s masterly direction. The conflicts in the village and their resolutions are always absorbing, often very funny, and eventually moving. The cast members take advantage of every opportunity to make strong contributions to the enlivening choreography by Chelsie Johnston and the solo and choral singing under musical director Lexy Witcher, who led the accomplished band.

In order of appearance, the supporting performers are Jacob Brewer as Monsieur Martine the Teacher, Robert Doyle as Claude, Lisa Rosenstock as Denise, Kristin Meyer as Therese, Nathan Mecey as Pierre, Steve Lewis as Doumergue, Tim Grumich as Barnaby, Heather Fehl as Hortense, Adam Grun as Antoine, Ken Clark as M. le Cure the Priest, Danny J. Brown as Monsieur le Marquis the Mayor, Benni Jillette as the Mayor’s “niece” Inez, Stefanie Kluba as the Mayor’s “niece” Nicole, Macy White as the Mayor’s “niece” Simone, and Chengzheng Yong as Philippe.

Merritt and Coffel collaborated on the set and projection designs, which localize the scenes with striking images on a wide rear screen. Jean Heckmann and Tracey Newcomb designed the attractive period costumes. The props are by Dani Mann, the lighting is by Eric Wennlund, and the sound is by Jacob Baxley.

The Baker’s Wife continues through November 16 at the Florissant Performing Arts Center, One James J. Eagan Drive.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by Wolfe Creative Media Services