DELICIOUS NEWS! We are waking up to a delicious piece of “Broadway’s Coming Back Pie” in celebration of just finding out the Tony and Grammy Award nominated smash hit Waitress the Musical is returning this Fall!! Under the direction of Tony winner Diane Paulus and featuring its full all female creative team, the show’s return will be a strictly limited engagement from September 2nd, 2021 through January 9th, 2022 at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre (recent home of The Inheritance and prior before the debut of the new musical Paradise Square). It will still be on that same exact street where it originally was on Broadway but across the street this time.
In addition, the show’s creator Grammy winner and Tony nominee Sara Bareilles will once again show audiences WHAT BAKING CAN DO as she reprises her performance of the musical’s leading role of pregnant pie maker “Jenna Hunterson”. Bareilles will play the role for the first month and a half…… That’s September 2nd, 2021 through October 17th, 2021. From there, a new leading lady will take over for the remainder of the run.
Full casting will be revealed in the next few week!!!
In case anyone may not know or remember, WAITRESS is a musical based on the 2007 film of the same name by the late Adrienne Shelly (which starred Keri Russell). Set at a local diner somewhere in the south, the story follows on “Jenna Hunterson”, a pregnant waitress known for making the most delicious pies. Her life is at a crossroads as she plans to start a new life with her soon-to-be child and break free from her domestic abusive husband. At the same time, things begin to get complicated when she is cared by the town’s doctor. With an original score by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. Notable songs include OPENING UP, WHAT BAKING CAN DO, IT ONLY TAKES A TASTE, A SOFT PLACE TO LAND, NEVER EVER GETTING RID OF ME, BAD IDEA, YOU MATTER TO ME, and the emotional SHE USED TO BE MINE.
WAITRESS was first conceived around early 2012 by husband and wife Broadway producing duo Barry and Fran Weissler who secured the rights early to the 2014 film of the same name. It went through numerous years of readings and workshops before officially having its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA in the Summer of 2015.
With the triumphant success of its Cambridge run, the show officially transferred to Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre where it ran for 33 previews and 1,544 regular performances. By the time of it closed, the show held the record of being the Brooks Atkinson Theatre’s longest running show. Under the direction of Diane Paulus, the cast is led by….
Jessie Mueller (later Stephanie Torns, Sara Bareilles, Betsy Wolfe, Nicolette Robinson, Shoshana Bean, Allison Luff, Jordin Sparks, and Katherine McPhee) as “Jenna”,
Drew Gehling (later Chris Diamantopoulos, Jason Mraz, Erich Bergen, Joey McIntyre, Jeremy Jordan, and Mark Evans) as “Dr. Pomatter”,
Keala Settle (later Charity Angél Dawson, Maia Nkenge Wilson, and Natasha Yvette Williams) as “Becky”,
Kimiko Glenn (later Jenna Ushkowitz, Caitlin Houlahan, Katie Lowes, Lenne Klingaman, and Colleen Ballinger) as “Dawn”,
Nick Cordero (later William Popp, Will Swenson, Joe Tippett, Matt DeAngelis, Joe Tippett, and Ben Thompson) as “Earl”,
Christopher Fitzgerald (later Adam Shapiro, Alex Wyse, Eddie Jemison, Noah Galvin, and Todrick Hall) as “Ogie”,
and so much more.
WAITRESS was nominated for Tony Awards in 2016 including BEST MUSICAL but lost all the categories. The cast album was also nominated for a Grammy for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM.
With the success of the Broadway company, Waitress went on to launch numerous tasty companies all around the world. Several productions including 2 North American National Tours (set to return with a Non-Equity company) and London’s West End. Upcoming productions will include Australia, a UK/Ireland Tour, and The Netherlands.
Despite such a rough past year, we get to experience a beautiful SOFT PLACE IN LAND and discover the magic of Live Theater once again.
WELCOME BACK TO BROADWAY WAITRESS!!!
Who is excited?!!!
