The title of this musical written by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, ‘Waitress’, and the plot about yes, a waitress who discovers herself through her love of baking pies, both seem a bit uninspired.
My hopes lay with a packed house and the longest queue for the merch stall that I’ve ever seen at Oxford’s New Theatre, perhaps because this production is celebrating its 10th anniversary?
Huge relief then to report that I was completely wrong-footed because Waitress smashes it out of the park.
Set predominantly in the neon-lit Joe’s Pie Diner in Nowheresville in the Mid-west, waitress and pie-maker extraordinaire Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher) becomes pregnant by her coercive husband and all-round, boo-hiss bad-guy Earl (Mark Willshire).
‘Waitress really does have all the right ingredients, in the right quantities, cooked to perfection to make a rollicking treat of a show’
However, with a little help from her two quirky fellow waitresses Dawn and Becky (Evelyn Hoskins and Sandra Marvin) , the curmudgeonly diner proprietor, Joe (Les Dennis, yes, that Les Dennis!) and a large dollop of self-belief, Jenna bravely attempts to sort out her life out.
Waitress succeeds on so many fronts – where to begin? The storyline is instantly relatable: marrying the wrong guy, impulsive affairs, the yearning for financial independence, searching for Mr Right….. but it’s also about overcoming adversity and finding your own self-worth.
‘this warm-hug of a story is conveyed with kindness, compassion, wit and laugh-out- loud humour, enhanced by the pulsating dialogue and vibrant characters’
Serious themes then, but this warm-hug of a story is conveyed with kindness, compassion, wit and laugh-out- loud humour, enhanced by the pulsating dialogue and vibrant characters.
No-nonsense Becky sasses back to diner manager Cal (Dan O’Brien), at one point asking: ‘Does your ass ever get jealous of the amount of shit that comes out of your mouth?’.
Then there are the banging tunes; from great harmonies to jazzy grooves, Latin-y hand-claps to country twangs, soaring ballads and grungy guitar riffs – really something for everyone, all delivered with aplomb by the onstage band.
‘Waitress is also a case of ‘all killer; no filler’ as even the minor characters shine brilliantly’
Waitress is also a case of ‘all killer; no filler’ as even the minor characters shine brilliantly: Waitress Dawn’s comically anxious song ‘When He Sees Me’ is highly memorable, and Dawn’s frankly bonkers boyfriend Ogie (Mark Anderson) takes over the show with his star turn of ‘Never Ever Getting Rid of Me’. He’s so good that we just don’t want him to leave the stage.
And let’s not forget the pies – tantalisingly described, and deliciously named (Marshmallow Mermaid Pie anyone?) they are an understated yet integral part of the show withs lots of flour and sugar being scattered about the stage, which makes for a satisfyingly immersive experience. If they aren’t selling Jenna’s pies at that merch stall, they’re missing a trick!
Apologies in advance for this pie analogy, but Waitress really does have all the right ingredients, in the right quantities, cooked to perfection to make a rollicking treat of a show.
Edward Bliss
Waitress runs until July 4 at New Theatre Oxford. Book at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/waitress/new-theatre-oxford/
