My Review on Waitress the Musical National Tour

Broadway Grand Rapids always brings some amazing musicals to Western Michigan. On Saturday, May 4, 2019, I saw the touring company of Waitress the Musical.  A Tony Award Nominated musical with original music and lyrics by 7--Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles (known for "The Love Song" and "Brave). Waitress the Musical is based on the 2007 film starring Kurt Russell.  Book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson ("I am Sam") and directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus ("Pippin", "Finding Neverland"). 

It is a story about Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky abusive marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as "The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie"  and "Betrayed By My Eggs Pie". When a baking contest in a nearby county-- and satisfying encounter with someone new -- show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

    

Christine Dwyer who has performed for President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Hannover Messe. She did such a great job of bringing the Southern charm of the character Jenna. She had such a softness but eager to make her dreams come true.   The audiences feel the emotions of Jenna when she finds out she is pregnant. Jenna is terrified especially since her husband is very abusive and useless. The baby is making her feel very stuck. She dreams of opening up her own diner serving her famous pies, but now with the child on its way, this doesn't look like it will happen. 

Jenna doesn't go through this journey alone. She has two kooky co-workers, Becky, a bawdy opinionated co-worker and Dawn, a shy. Then there is Cal, a grumpy cook, who ends up falling in love with a co-worker. 

Jeremy Woodard, who plays Earl the abusive husband to Jenna, did a remarkable job of making Earl creepy.  He makes his temper and arrogant demeanor real. It was easy to hate him. 

"Waitress" the musical touring company doesn't have a couple 4-6 years old traveling with the tour instead ever city they are performing in they hold an audition.  This gives little kids an opportunity to be on stage. It is so cute watching the child come running out on stage at the end. If you have a child under the age of 8 and The Waitress is coming to your town then make sure to follow their Facebook and Instagram. 

Sara Bareilles

Waitress contains some powerfully strong female roles as well as working for the production.  I am a fan of the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, however, I was not impressed with the music in this show. I didn't leave with any of the songs stuck in my head. I left not wanting the soundtrack either. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the worst musical music I have seen.   Every song sounded the same. A lot of the lyrics throughout the show is on the pedestrian side.  They have a dream-like echoey voice repeating the words "Suger",  "Butter," and "Flour." The first couple of times was really cool, but it soon got annoying. The music had so many different types of music such as jazz, southern soul, doo-wop, rap, and country. The orchestra used kitchen utensils to make music throughout the show. There are some comedic songs such as "I Love You LIke A Table" where we get involved in the subplot about the love affair between Dawn and Ogie.  Christine Dwyer, Jenna, put so many emotions and power in "She Used to be Mine." She showed us how much she is hurting. 

The sound mixing was very not very good. A good amount of the show the orchestra overpowered the actors. A couple of the actors were hard to understand what they are singing because of pronunciation. 

Unlike the movie, the musical focuses more on diners co-workers than on Jenna and her situation. This made it hard for me to feel for her because we didn't see much of how much her husband is abusing and controlling her.  I also didn't feel sorry for the character Jenna because she still was having sex with her gynecologies, Dr. Pomatter even though she knows he is married. This made it become very hard to root for both of them. 

Jessie Nelson's script is full of drama as well as comedy with one-dimensional characterizations.  

Set designer, Scott Pask, did an amazing job at creating a believable southern diner with a beautiful backdrop of a rural landscape. There aren't too many set changes. The main sets are the diner, Jenna and Earl's apartment, Doctors Office.  It looks very authentic. The orchestra is on stage. 

This musical is big and grand, but it is a heartwarming inspirational story with a great ending. This musical reads #MeToo movement. This show is Broadway's first all-female creative team. My favorite message I received from Waitress is dreams can happen if you don't give up. Always try new ingredients in your life because you never know what will come out of it. The possibilities are endless.