The Tony-nominated Waitress arrives in theaters on December 7, 2023 to kick off a five-day series of screenings. Starring composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles, the Broadway musical is based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film that starred Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, and Jeremy Sisto.
The production entered the record books as the first Broadway musical with a top creative team comprised of four women – book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Diane Paulus. Opening in 2016, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre hosted 1,500+ performances of the musical, making it one of the longest-running shows in recent history.
Bareilles says Waitress changed her life, and composing the music was a gift.
“The film is funny and dark and feminine and irreverent and emotional and so very, very musical,” said Bareilles, recalling watching Shelly’s film for the first time. “I found a piece of myself in each of these characters and learned so much from trying to tell their stories. It has helped me rediscover a purity and a playfulness in my own songwriting that I haven’t felt in years. I felt liberated to find new ways to express my ideas and energized by my incredible collaborators as well as the giant puzzle we were all trying to put together. The next four years of my life were all but consumed by this process, this story, this music, and a fierce devotion we, as a team, had to preserve Adrienne Shelly’s vision and the heart of this very special piece.”
Directed by Brett Sullivan, Waitress: The Musical stars Bareilles, Eric Anderson, Charity Angél Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Drew Gehling, Caitlin Houlahan, Dakin Matthews, and Joe Tippett.
(Credit: Courtesy of Dear Hope Productions / National Artists Management Company / Night & Day Pictures)
Bleecker Street and Fathom Events offer this description of Waitress: The Musical:
“Featuring composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, Jenna begins to find the courage to take a long-abandoned dream off the shelf. Waitress celebrates the power of friendship, dreams, the family we choose and the beauty of a well-baked pie.”
