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Waitress cooked up a storm on Broadway before becoming the must see musical in the West End. And it’s finally on UK tour so you can enjoy a taste of this show for yourself.
Excitingly, it also made history with the first female led creative team, including, 7-time Grammy® winner Sara Bareilles, who penned the catchy, modern pop score. So I was very excited to see what was in store.
Want more pop-tastic musicals on tour? Don’t forget to read my review of Hairspray
In a Southern highway diner
We meet waitresses, Jenna and her two besties, Dawn and Becky, who are trying to survive their mundane lives. Jenna accidentally gets pregnant to her abusive, controlling husband and thinks it is the biggest of her worries until a tasty doctor enters the scene to complicate matters.
She soon realises her talent and love for pie-making could increase her chances of winning a local baking competition and so claiming the prize money becomes her escape plan. Along the way we learn of her friends dating highs and lows, as their strong sisterhood takes them on the messy pursuit of happiness.
It was not what I was expecting at all
I didn’t know much about Waitress and I was caught a little off guard by the style of it. It felt like a play with songs. There are serious narratives that explore the complexities of relationships, domestic abuse and a disconnection to pregnancy.
I became deeply connected to the narrative but to convey the pain and hurt, the scenes do slow down the pace of the production. It is a 2 hour long emotional investment. Not that I minded, I just wasn’t mentally prepared for that level of focus.
And this will sound contradictory, but it also has the funniest moments. The sex scene in particular is laugh out loud funny. It went from one extreme to another that always kept me on my toes. Where they tears of laughter or sorrow? It it switched so quickly, I couldn’t quite tell.
A slice of perfection
Lucie Jones is possibly the most effortless performer I have ever seen. She is as sweet as sugar playing the humble and kind Jenna. Her voice is a slice of perfection and stuns in ‘She Used to be Mine’. I was left in tears.
Sandra Marvin serves up a sassy Southern Belle in Becky and Evelyn Hoskins is the cherry on top of this talented trio, showing exactly how to perform the awkward and quirky Dawn.
Nathanael Landskroner is actually a little too convincing as heartless husband Earl. George Crawford whips up a treat as Ogie, in his fun and dorkie numbers and whilst Matt Willis might not reach every note, he makes up for it as the endearing Doctor Pomatter.
Waitress is a powerful piece of theatre with an empowering effect.
Playing at Manchester Opera House until Saturday 20 November 2021.
Find out when it’s coming near you.
(AD) Buy tickerts here
Photo credits: Johan Persson