Waitress by Diane Paulus
Review by Calli S., Youth Reviewer
“Waitress” is a musical based off of a 2007 movie of the same name. Jenna is a waitress and pie maker stuck in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. When Jenna gets pregnant by accident, she begins to have an affair with her new gynecologist, Dr. Jim Pomatter. Soon Jenna finds the way out that she’s been looking for: a pie contest that could give her the new life she’s always wanted.
I saw this show about a week and a half before it closed it’s nearly four-year run-on Broadway. I actually saw this show on Christmas Day which made it extra special for me. This musical is near and dear to me for a couple of reasons. It’s the first show that has a full female creative team which is amazing. I don’t think that every show needs this, but this show is about Jenna’s life so it only makes sense that the creative team is as close to her as possible. The other main reason I love this show is that I’m a baker. I love making pies among other things, which is a large part of this musical. This show is basically two of the largest parts of my life put together; baking and musicals.
I saw part of the original cast that had come back for the final weeks of the show. Katherine McPhee was the show’s Jenna and was spectacular. McPhee is known for her singing ability and did not disappoint. The rest of the cast was amazing as well and just seemed to pull you in and make you wish there was no intermission so you wouldn’t have to wait for the second half of the show. As well, the cast members I met off stage were also very nice. I’m always amazed by how much time actors put in and then are still willing to meet fans.
Now for my favourite part of any show review, the music! Waitress has a beautiful meaningful soundtrack that I love. The musical has a mix of slow and upbeat songs all with amazing vocals. It’s also a musical that tells its storyline amazingly well through song, which is harder to come by with new musicals in my opinion. Even with all the upbeat songs, some are very powerful and look at the themes of the musical. To me, the most powerful songs from “Waitress” are, “You Matter To Me” and “She Used To Be Mine”.
Overall, “Waitress” is an amazing musical. If you ever get the chance to see it, I would highly recommend going. If you can’t see it, listen to the soundtrack and you will not be disappointed. I promise that even the songs with weird titles are good too.