We are happy that you joined us if you could.  Tell those that you meet what you found in a beautiful small opera house in Elkader Iowa, that transported you back to a small village in France in 1934.  Until you experience live theater, and not just live, but intimate live theater done by people who do it out of love for the art, you don't know what becoming part of a production is all about.

For those of you anxious to see photos from this production, here is a link to nearly 200 shots of the show.    The larger view is the full resolution shots.   I will have the normal reduced number and size shots posted a bit later this week.  Until then, enjoy.

There are seats left for the remaining two performances.   If you are on the fence and have come here to read and decide if you want to go, take a look at the commentary below.  Read about the people, the music, the laughter, and yes.. a couple of tears.  Join us as an entire town learns about sharing, caring, and working together to become better than the individuals are.  Join us for your final chances to see The Baker's Wife in all its OHP style and splendor.

This music is difficult, but with the dilligent work of the entire group, and especially Conductor Arden Greener and rehearsal pianist Karen Suddendorf, they make it sound easy.

There is a cardinal rule in my mind for musicals.   If you don't notice the orchestra, they are doing a good job.  It truly is one of those unsung jobs.  Without them, we could not make the beautiful music we do.  The cast appreciates them, and you will too, you just may not know it! <g>   Take a look in your program at the people who sit in that pit.   Next time you see them, thank them for their effort in making this production all it can be.

On a final note before opening - a last introduction.   Look in the mirror.   It's YOU!  The show is ready for an audience.   It's been ready for an audience.  It is now like fine wine.  Our director (Diane Fisk) has aged us to perfection.   A loaf of fresh baked bread, a bottle of fine wine, the village of Concorde, and you - this is The Baker's Wife.

Our villagers each have their own individual names, because they are each individuals.  They have obviously chosen sides in the various conflicts that have occurred and continue to occur in this little village of Concorde.   Their reactions and responses to the main characters are really what bring this show to life.   Everyone loves an audience, and the folks of Concorde are no different.

Take time to investigate these folks on stage.  Watch their response to the happenings in town.  Being a voyeur in this instance is not only okay, it's encouraged!

There is one instance where calling these folks the chorus fits, and that is in the singing.  Throughout the show, and most especially when we hit the end of that final number, there is only one place I can think of that would be better to be than sitting in that audience listening to the incredible sound flow off the stage and out of the pit.  That place, of course, is standing center stage with all those voices surrounding you!   Sorry, that spot is taken! <grin>   If it brings a lump to our collective throats night after night, imagine what it will do for you the first time those sounds hit your ears.

Come early in the run!   You may definitely want to see and hear this more than once, and with our low ticket prices, you can easily do that!

Of course, in this more "true to life" production of a little french village, Phillipe gets caught for the indiscretions of Dominique.

Ticket sales continue to do well.  Good seats remain for most performances.  Come meet these people, and see why we have fallen in love with them!

They seem to be almost like siblings, always picking a fight.   Siblings for the most part, do grow up, and realize that they can enjoy life much more when they celebrate the relationship as opposed to constantly creating and fostering strife.   The same is true for Doumergue and Pierre.  They simply need to be shown that life can be better if they quit worrying about their own problems and learn to work with each other.  All they need is the trigger to push them in that direction.

On with the introductions.  If there is a morally stereotypical center to this town, it is found in the Priest and in Therese (played by Donna Winke).  Therese is a typical spinster whose only joy seems to be in pointing the finger at other's faults and backing up the priest.   Her response to any "situation" is to go get the Priest, if he is not already there.   She, of course, focuses outward to keep from focusing in on her own loneliness.   We all laugh at her line in the song about love, "If you want it done right, better do it yourself.", but it is too, a sad statement from a lonely person.   This is brought out even more by her response to the fake overture made to her by the teacher as he attempts to get her to leave the town square at the end of the show.

Then there is Antoine (played by Jerry O'Brien)...  They always say, "Every town has one" and I suppose it's true.  Antoine is a good natured man whose main fault is the fact that there is nothing between his thoughts and his speech.  Unfortunately, his thoughts are not always worth hearing, or appropriate to the situation.   While he is thoughtless, he is only saying what others are thinking, but not saying in most circumstances.  He is kind, and means no harm, but he does like to be the center of attention.  When he sees he has hurt someone, he does try to make amends.

There are still new characters to meet.   Stay tuned, for more on The Baker's Wife and the sleepy little village of Concorde, that seems to be in such discord.

Today I want to introduce you to several characters, all with a lot of interconnection.  First, there is the town Priest M. le Cure (played by Cary Kann).  His job, as he sees it, is to be concerned about the moral fiber of the community, and he has a great deal to worry about in his estimation.  The problem is that he spends so much time worrying about what others do, that he often forgets to remember his own failings. (A point that is brought home to him during the show.)

The teacher, M. le Martine (played by Dan Beck) is one of the thorns in the Priest's side.  As a teacher, he feels everything should be approached with logic.  He finds the town woefully inadequate to truly function on that level.  Like the Priest, he also must learn that there is room for shades of gray in this world that he prefers would be black & white.

The town mayor, M. le Marquis (played by Russ Hagen) is the perfect example of a man who has everything (much to the consternation of the Priest & the teacher).  He has money, material possesions, and as the Mayor, he has the respect and ear of the villagers.  That respect is what bothers the teacher.  What bothers the Priest however is that he also has three "nieces" living with him. 

Simone, Inez, & Nicole (played by Sophia Landis, Molly Franta, and Chelsy Suddendorf) are live in "companions" of the M. le Marquis that are tolerated by most of the villagers much to the consternation of the Priest and a few others.  These girls add some wonderful spice to the town of Concorde, and not in an inappropriate way.

I have a few more interesting characters to discuss yet.   I hope that you are anxious to meet the people of The Baker's Wife.   I know we are anxious to introduce ourselves to you!

Hortense is a bright caring woman who is trapped in a relationship where her thoughts and dreams don't matter.  She doesn't fully accept this role, but doesn't really think that it can be any different.  That is, until the Baker & his wife come to town.   Their relationship forces her to see that she has options, and that realization frees her for action.

Surprisingly enough we find, that while Barnaby is the one who tries to maintain control, he is not happy with his role either.  When the status quo is challenged, he is more than willing to let the past go, and to move on to a much more pleasant future where life is shared, not only with Hortense, but also with the rest of the village.  The question is however, is he too late?

There are many more interesting characters in The Baker's Wife.  Stay tuned, and I'll attempt to bring you my take on these facinating people of Concorde.

The Cafe in this sleepy French village of Concorde, is run by Claude and his wife Denise, played by Clark Ott and Anne Franta.  Actually, Denise does most of the running, Claude just shouts a lot.  They both would tell you that they once had a wonderful relationship full of sharing and caring, but something happened over the years.  They have degenerated into a life of jabs and jokes at one another's expense.  For Claude, I believe it was a feeling of losing control of his life.  He tries to make up for it by bossing his wife around, basically telling her to do what she would already do.

Denise somehow knows the problem is something else, as she wonderfully tells us in the opening song "Chanson" about the "sameness" that has infected their town and it's people.  Truly, the opposite of love is indifference. The complacency of Concorde is changed by the introduction of two new people, whose relationship is unequally based on a blind love and caring on one side, and obligation, confusion and uncertainty on the other; the Baker and his wife. 

As we see anger bubbling in the people of the town, we realize that there is still a lot of caring there, but no willinginess to change what is, to allow for what could become.

While we fine tune these next two weeks, I hope to introduce you to more of the wonderful characters that make up the laughter and love that is The Baker's Wife.

The more we work with the show the more I am enjoying the complexity of the characters, and perhaps even more, how well Stephen Schwartz crafts his songs and lyrics to develop those characters. 

As Aimable - The Baker, I am getting in touch with a man who sees the best in life and in other people.  He is a humble unassuming man (which my fellow actors will tell you is a stretch for me to play!) whose main fault is his unwillingness to admit that life is any more than the perfect picture he paints it to be.   Genevieve, his wife, is a young and confused woman who hasn't come to terms with her life, and what it is that makes her happy.  Dominique is a young overbearing self confident, self centered man who thinks only of himself.

The reason I bring all these specific characters up (and there are many more wonderful characters in the show) is that there is one song that these three sing together, yet somehow in melody and lyrics each not only keeps their own emotion and character, but actually expands on who they are, giving the audience a better view inside these always delightful, and often flawed individuals.

Click here for a few more pictures, including a favorite of mine of the "nieces".

The music really helps make this show, so we are working hard on getting that just right.   It can be frustrating for all involved, especially since this music is as intricate as what it is.  I equate the music of Stephen Schwartz to that of Stephen Sondhiem.  Absolutely beautiful to listen to, difficult to play and sing.   They both use a variety of tempos and counter melodies to bring out the emotion of the song.  If done right, it sounds effortless.   I hope when you hear it, you think to yourself, "that didn't sound that difficult", because then we've done our job.

Have I mentioned how much we are loving this show? <G>  The characters are so much fun, and they are developing well.   Now... if we can just eliminate the laughter during those parts that are supposed to be serious, we'll be in good shape!

The set has a definite start, and that is always one of the hardest parts.   We will continue to work this week and weekend and I hope that will go a long way to allowing the cast to have something to work with.   That always spurs us on to do a better job.

Speaking of doing a better job, the orchestra has joined us part time this week, and they will hit full time next week.   That always is a welcome time, but it takes a bit of extra work as we get ourselves together and iron out details of dance and tempo.

Not much to show you thus far, but Kim took a few pictures of last nights rehearsal so I thought I could share with you to give you an idea of the beginnings of this production.  Click here to see a few pictures.

The rehearsals continue to be very enjoyable as this music just gets better the more you hear it.   The characters are developing and we find ourselves laughing more and more at the wonderfully developed dialogue.   Of course there are those sections of dialogue that can make everything go silent pretty fast as well.   This is a well put together production with a full range of emotional experiences and a plot that makes you go "hmmmm".

Life is complex, and The Baker's Wife brings you life in all it's complexity, in such a way that you can't help but be entertained.

We do continue to make progress, and we have to, as ticket sales to members are going very well.   We're anxious to be at rehearsal each night, and it's fun to watch the characters develop.

The music rehearsals have paid off as the songs are sounding pretty good.  Some work yet to do of course, but it is early.   A good 25 rehearsals left!   Plenty of time...  I've GOT to start working on my lines more!

We're going to start our rehearsals working on that beautiful music.   Then we'll head into dance.

Lots of laughter last night as we read through these lines for the first time.  It was good to be together again for lots of us, and wonderful to welcome so many new faces into the "family" that is the OHP.

Stay tuned for continued updates, and be sure to start deciding when you want to be part of the experience that will be The Baker's Wife.

We are working on which songs will be choreographed, and by whom, as well as when things will start.   The materials have arrived.   Some of the cast has already picked up their books, and we hope to have a read through next Monday night to pass out the remainder of the books.

We've already begun work on finding the right people for the orchestra for this incredible music.  We're anxious to finish planning on the set.  In other words, we are raring to go and getting started.

The membership forms will be in the mail soon.  Please consider renewing your membership to the OHP.  We'll continue keeping the Opera House up to snuff with the technical stuff that is used by all who come and perform in the building.  We'll also work to keep you informed of upcoming events.  Thanks for your continued support.

I have the list of people who made the show, but don't have the full list of who has which part, so you can also write me at the ohp@icsbbs.com account if you can't get ahold of Kay and I'll let you know what I do know.

This brings up an interesting point.  Waiting after tryouts is the most difficult part of any production.  We have always felt that personal contact is best.   Perhaps, however, simply making sure that people will accept roles if offered at tryouts, then posting the completed list online when decisions are made would be less painful than the waiting and wondering.   Let me know how you feel about such things and it may affect how we do this in the future.

We've setup tryouts for Tuesday and Wednesday May 29th & 30th, 2007 at 7pm on the stage at the Elkader Opera House.

Should you want additional information on the characters and songs, you can click here.   While the show is basically an all adult show, certainly there could be parts for mature high school students as well.   Don't miss out on the fun.   Hope to see you at tryouts.