Waitress tells the charming, funny, sweet, and sad story of waitress and pie-maker Jenna. She's trapped in her life - by poverty, a controlling and abusive husband, and no options. Her solace is baking pies at Joe's Pie Diner with friends Dawn and Becky (as much as anything else, this is a story of female friendship). When she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, Jenna doesn't have much hope for her future or her child. She hides money around the house, and dreams of entering a pie contest, hoping to be able to leave Earl someday (is it a coincidence that Jenna's abusive husband shares the same name as the abusive husband in the Chicks' empowerment anthem "Goodbye Earl?"). But Earl finds out, and won't let her leave (the musical cleverly turns what could be a romantic song, "Til the sun don't shine, you will still be mine," into a threat, a cage, a trap). Jenna also begins to find solace in her relationship with her doctor as they begin a secret affair. Eventually Jenna gains the courage to start her life anew, thanks to her friends, an affair with this man who is kind to her, and her new baby Lulu.*
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| Jenna mixing up the sugar, butter, flour (Erin Capello) (photo by Alyssa Kristine) |
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| Jenna (Erin Capello) and Dr. Pomatter (Chris Paulson) (photo by Alyssa Kristine) |
Leading this amazing cast is Erin Capello, who is so perfectly cast. When I first saw her on stage after a long hiatus (you can read more about that here), it was at Theater Latte Da's post-pandemic cabaret show in the fall of 2021, and I wrote, "If Erin Capello's performances were auditions for the yet-to-be regional premieres of the female singer-songwriter musicals Beautiful and Waitress, she has my vote! Gorgeous vocals and pure emotion on 'It's Too Late' and 'She Used to Be Mine.'" She may have missed out on the former but she got the latter, and if I do say so myself, I was right on this account too. Her "gorgeous vocals and pure emotion" ring true throughout this score and story, and make her a relatable heroine to root for. She's surrounded by a bevy of talented performers, chief among them Jenna's besties - Julia Diaz as an endearingly awkward Dawn and Adair Gilliam making an impressive #TCTheater debut as Becky. Also great is Chris Paulson, whom I like more and more every time I see him, as Jenna's love interest doctor; Erin and Chris have great chemistry and sing together in gorgeous harmony. Other highlights include Ryan Lee as tough love diner boss Cal, JoeNathan Thomas as lovable grump diner owner Jo, Eric Morris with a scary good performance as the abusive Earl, and a positively hilarious and adorable Armando Harlow Ronconi stealing all the scenes as Dawn's love interest Ogie.
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| Becky (Adair Gilliam), Jenna (Erin Capello), and Dawn (Julia Diaz, photo by Alyssa Kristine) |
Most of the story takes place in the diner and that's the dominant set - a back wall lined with booths, the diner sign, tables and chairs, and a counter and door to the kitchen. But that counter set piece cleverly rotates so that the other side serves as the backdrop for the doctor's office or Jenna's home, with other pieces rolled out to as needed for the tiny bathroom (yes, pivotal scenes take place in the bathroom) or the kitchen, lined with equipment and food. Costumes range from the cute diner waitress uniforms, to character-defining casual clothes, to some fun wedding attire - spoiler alert! (Scenic design by Sarah Bahr, props design by Katie Phillips, and costume design by Meghan Kent.)
Waitress is not your typical Broadway musical, which is always a good thing in my book. The stripped down sound, the atypical love story that doesn't end in "happily ever after," the focus on female friendship (not to mention an almost entirely female creative team), and the beautiful ordinariness of the story.* I'm so thrilled we finally get a #TCTheater production of it, and the cast and creative team of Artistry fulfilled all of my hopes for the show. Head to Bloomington before May 11 to laugh, cry, and maybe even eat some pie (themed concessions).
