Waitress — StageWrite Post

3 out of 5 Stars

Theater-goers are provided a special treat - two reviews of the musical confection - Waitress. Below you will find a follow-up review by Scott Johnson after which is our original review.

Guest Review

A bit of a heavy subject for a Sunday matinee, Waitress brought forth the continued discussion of abuse in the American culture. We knew going in that this would be a roller coaster of emotions and we were ready!

The cast was amazing. Their voices brought forth the power of the subject. Jenna, played by Betsy Wolfe, shared her life's troubles with us in a very dignified way. Her abusive husband, Earl, played by Joe Tippett, was the epitome of an abusive husband. Joe Tippett brought forth the emotion like no other character. You believed that he was abusive...terribly, psychologically, abusive.

Jenna's solace was her doctor played by Drew Gehling. This part of the play was the most disturbing. A doctor crosses the line of professionalism and engages in a relationship with his patient...his abused patient. Not the easiest part of the story to watch.

But where there is pain, humor is the best medicine. Jeremy Morse brought forth the character of Ogie and brought us all back to that part of life when we just want to laugh, hard. He is so in love with Dawn, a waitress in the restaurant, played by Caitlin Houlahan, that he cannot contain himself. He sings. He dances. He is on the tables. Professing his love for Dawn who just is not sure of this man. Jeremy Morse was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Charity Dawson played Jenna's friend and voice of reason. And when she sang, she sang to the heavens. THE voice of reason.

So, for a heavy subject, we felt renewed in knowing that we can talk about this in our society. We can actually write movies about it. And plays. And we will continue to do this until we won't have to.

Guest Review by Scott Johnson - Southern California raised and living in Sonoma County, California, I am an independent design consultant for wineries and Milestone Events Group in Sonoma County. My partner and I travel extensively and enjoy art, the ballet, the theater and the culture of the cities in which we travel.

StageWrite.net Review

Butter. Sugar. Flour. These are the ingredients of pie and a running theme of Waitress the musical. Based on the 2007 Indie film written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress follows our sweetheart of a pie baker, Jenna, who is long on kindness and baking skills but occasionally short on good judgment.

My daughter, Jane, was coming into town for the weekend and it seemed like a girls night out was in order. We recruited my step-daughter, Hannah, to join us for the pie-fest. Now Jane is a big fan of the movie and she had me watch it with her before we saw the show so we were primed and ready to see Jenna and friends in 3-D. It's no surprise that Waitress (directed by Diane Paulus) has been a hit on Broadway. It's as fun and fluffy as whipped cream on a pie.

Charity Angel Dawson, Jessie Mueller, and Caitlin Houlahan

We had the lucky timing to see Jessie Mueller in her final weekend in the show (Sara Bareilles who wrote the music and lyrics takes over the lead role on March 31). Jessie is the Broadway musical powerhouse who won a Tony for her role as Carole King in the musical Beautiful. And she is a powerhouse - Ms. Mueller is a charming stage presence, a fine comedic actress, and sure can belt a ballad. We thought that her sidekicks, Dawn (played by Caitlin Houlahan), and Becky (played by Charity Angel Dawson who has a very big voice of her own) stole the show. Their two characters are allowed nonstop sass and bawdy antics. The show stopper is Dawn's boyfriend, Ogie (regularly played by Christopher Fitzgerald, but capably filled in by Jeremy Morse). Ogie sends silly poems, goofy dance steps, and hokey charm wafting around the stage. The audience went bonkers.

Drew Gehling (as Dr. Pomatter), Jessie Mueller

The set (by Scott Past) is a fun confection of its own and the lively musicians fill the stage with energy and spark. The story (book by Jessie Nelson) is faithful to the original movie so fans like Jane will be happy there is no tampering with the text.

It is an evening of light-hearted fun and doesn't take up any more room than a big bite of peach pie. Sometimes a sprinkle of sugar, a lick of butter and a puff of flour is just what you need.

Why we went: We knew the charming storyline and who doesn't like pie?

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Sidenotes: The moment I got the tickets, I knew we had to eat pre-theater dinner at Joe Allen (located at 46th Street between 8th and 9th). The relaxed atmosphere is festive, the service is friendly, and the food is reliable. Plus, pie! We had to have some pie before the show so we ordered banana cream pie, apple pie, and cheesecake for good measure.