Finding moments in the woods with the Baker's Wife, Alden Bowers Price

Alden Bowers Price (The Bakers Wife)
with Joshua Sherman (The Baker) in
Artes de la Rosa's Into the Woods

Today we venture into the woods with Alden Bowers Price. Alden is making her Artes de la Rosa debut in Into The Woods but is no stranger to Artistic Director Adam Adolfo having starred in Lee Blessing's poignant political drama, Two Rooms for him at Runway Theater.  A true star, Alden is making the iconic role of the Baker's Wife all her own!

 

We all know and love the stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood. They are familiar to us and stir memories, which in turn takes us to a place of joy, safety, and endless possibilities! These are stories that have stood the test of time because of their life lessons and seemingly magical "moments". Is it possible for any other story to seem as magical and moving as the ones listed above? I think so.



Alden Bowers Price talking with
director Adam Adolfo

I believe that the story of The Baker and The Baker’s Wife is equally if not more magical than the others because it is a story about two "real" people facing real struggles and sharing an incredibly vital lesson to all: Love and respect those close to you, exist to fulfill your dreams, fight for what you want, be content with what you have.

I’m going to be honest with you and say that I have actually struggled with coming to like The Baker’s Wife. It might sound odd to hear as most of us envision the original Broadway star Joanna Gleason tromping around the stage delivering each line with perfect comedic timing while making us feel that infidelity is acceptable so long as it is just a "peculiar passing moment".

 





Original Broadway "Bakers Wife"
Joanna Gleason

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Joanna Gleason! Her portrayal of The Baker’s Wife leaves me with a goofy grin on my face as I nod along to her songs. I just think it is easy to glaze over the real "moments" that take place. Like the way she is quick to be condescending and not afraid to talk down to her husband. Or the moment she compromises her morals by lying to a little boy saying beans carry magic when in reality she has no idea if they do. The way she finds something else to complain about (their house being too small) immediately after she got what she had always wanted; a child. Oh and let’s not forget the biggest one of all… infidelity.

 

Alden Bowers Price in TWO ROOMS directed
by Artes Artistic Director Adam Adolfo

 

I struggled for several days (*cough*weeks*cough*) in deciding what it was that made her likeable. What about her should make people pull for her and The Baker through their struggles? What makes people want her to succeed in obtaining her goal? I was working on her main solo, ‘Moments in the Woods’, last week when I had my personal "moment" in coming to love her. That moment where everything seemed so clear and seamlessly fit together. ‘Moments in the Woods’ is the song she sings right after her moment of selfish weakness. Wait, selfish…weakness… those are two of the most human qualities I’ve ever heard a character possessing. That’s when it hit me. She isn’t unlikeable… she is incredibly human. Then it hit me, she was feeling remorse. Finding her so human in that moment was so jarring that it immediately helped me find things/"moments" to love about her.

I love her strength and the fact that she doesn’t take "no" for an answer. I love the way she is so dedicated to her dream that she is not going to sit on the sideline and let someone else do the work for her. I love the moment in ‘It Takes Two’ when she falls back in love with her husband, The Baker, after a long battle through anger, resentment, and the embarrassment of not being able to have a child. I adore the fact that she is so proud of her husband when he succeeds in his own battles. I find it thrilling that she is captivated with their little "wish". I find her riveting in the way that she will protect others from the giant although she has no reason to feel so strongly for their safety.

 

"Behind the scenes" of the press photo shoot.

Yes, I even accept and appreciate the fact that she feels remorse for the horrible act she commits. I am so in love with the fact that at the end of the show, she is able to show her husband love and encouragement in assuring him that he was meant to be a father, that he can fill the voids for their little one that he is so fearful of, and that the two people she loves most in the entire world, her husband and their son, will never truly be alone.

Just know that when you meet The Baker’s Wife in our show, she will not be the typical one you encounter in most journeys into the woods! I hope people feel comfortable walking alongside her and ultimately fall even more in love with her than I have.

 

#IntoTheWoodsFW