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Broadway ’ s Best “ Waitress ” serves up all the ingredients for a great show by Mike Cohen , Photography : Joan Marcus
There are many reasons to go to New York City , but the extraordinary selection of Broadway productions heads the list .
Waitress is a musical based on the 2007 cult Indie movie starring Keri Russell , showing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre ( 256 West 47th Street , between Broadway and Eighth Avenue ).
The storyline revolves around Jenna ( Mueller ), a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage . Faced with an unexpected pregnancy , she fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop forever … until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town ’ s handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness . Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers , she summons the secret ingredient she ’ s been missing all along – courage .
Even before seeing this show , I knew that it was full of promising ingredients . The catchy music and lyrics were written by fivetime Grammy Award-nominated singer songwriter Sara Bareilles and the direction was done by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus .
Yes , the show will make you hungry for pie . The delicious-looking pies on both sides of the stage , featured in tall glass freezers , along with the ones integrated into the story , will make you hungry enough to buy some pie from the vendors . Each pie is sold in a small jar at $ 10 each with the phrase “ it only takes a taste ,” also the title of a song from the show , written on top .
While pie is prominently featured , the real star is Jessie Mueller , winner of the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Beautiful : The Carole King Musical . Mueller elevates an already excellent show with the quality of her performance , for which she was nominated for a Tony Award this year .
Mueller is nothing short than fabulous to watch . When I saw the movie Waitress , it reminded me of the movie Alice Doesn`t Live Here Anymore and the TV show Alice . This is likely because at the diner where she works , Jenna , like Alice , has two interesting co-workers . Becky ( Keala Settle ) is strong and full of funny quips .
Dawn ( Kimiko Glenn from the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black ) is an awkward girl who unexpectedly finds love with an odd man named Ogie , played hilariously by Christopher Fitzgerald . He won a Drama Desk Award and was nomi- nated for a Tony for his performance , including his show stopping number “ Never Ever Getting Rid of Me .”
Another standout is Drew Gehling , who plays Dr . Pomatter . His affair with Jenna is scandalous and hilarious to watch , in part due to his superb comedic timing .
From the moment the curtain rises , when Mueller belts out the fabulous and catchy song “ Opening Up ,” you are immediately hooked . Having seen the movie , I wondered how they would adjust the storyline to include music . Well , songwriter Bareilles did a magnificent job . The show is two and a half hours , with intermission , and it rolls by quickly .
Producers have announced a national tour of the show will kick off at Cleveland ' s Playhouse Square in October 2017 .
wwww . waitressthemusical . com
American World Traveler / Fall 2016