On its own, one great song probably isn’t going to save a stage musical, but it’s certainly enough to keep the hope of doing so alive. Consider the case of The Baker’s Wife , the Stephen Schwartz show based on the French film of the same name, that famously floundered through its out-of-town tryouts in 1976 and never made it to Broadway but produced the epic solo “Meadowlark.” Maybe you’ve heard Patti LuPone sing it, with a judicious ragù of commentary about playing the title character in near-empty theaters. Or you’ve heard other aspiring (or successful ) beltresses step up with their own spin on Schwartz’s extended fairy-tale analogy about Geneviève deciding to leave her older husband for a handsome young man. “Meadowlark” has a propulsive and rich melody and a neat inner narrative

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