On March 22nd, I saw the musical Waitress, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City, New York. With a book by Jessie Nelson and music by Grammy-nominated artist Sara Bareilles, Waitress is a funny, heartwarming and memorable show.
Waitress centres on Jenna, a waitress who bakes creatively titled and tasting pies for the diner she works at. Jenna feels trapped in her marriage to her deadbeat abusive husband, Earl, played by William Pop, and winds up unexpectedly pregnant. When she hears that a nearby pie contest will be happening soon Jenna begins secretly saving for her entry fee and envisions a new life free of with her baby funded by the cash prize from the contest. During her pregnancy, Jenna begins an affair with her (also married)
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Jessie Mueller delivers the role of Jenna beautifully and accurately. Her southern accent is on point and as her pregnancy furthers throughout the course of the show, it’s hard to believe that there isn’t a real pregnant belly below her dress. Jenna’s co-workers at the diner, Dawn and Becky, portrayed by Caitlin Houlahan and Charity Angel Dawson, respectively have subplots that develop too. Dawn learns to come out of her shell and find love. Her arc is often the comedic relief as she and her eventual husband are quirky and overly dramatic. Houlahan who is the second woman to play Dawn, her predecessor being the talented Kimiko Glenn. Houlahan does an amazing job of making the audience laugh at her quirks but then sympathise with her loneliness presented early in the show.
The set for Waitress is very innovative. Everything in the diner is on tracks so it can be switched out and moved on easily. The musicians are perched on a moving platform with the piano doubling up as a table to display Jenna’s pies. For Dr Pomatter’s office, an exam table and hallway to his office are wheeled on. For Jenna and Earls home there is a detailed living room complete with shelves of tchotchkes and 3 walls to fully simulate a living room.
Overall, Waitress is very cute. There some good laughs and some serious, more heartful moments. The soft colours are aesthetically pleasing, and the songs catchy but not annoying. Jenna is the underdog