“OPENING UP”: Waitress: The Musical Is Making Its Way On The West End in February 2019!

Yes, this is really happening, Waitress: The Musical is finally opening its dinner in the West End starting February 8th!

The beloved show has been long awaited by musical theatre fans in the United Kingdom. Although not much information has been revealed on the future production, we can only be delighted by this wonderful news. The musical, based on the 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly and starring Keri Russell, became a total smash hit since it opened on Broadway in 2016, even getting nominated for four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and a Grammy Award!

Jessie Mueller and the Original Cast of Waitress (Photo: Joan Marcus)

For those who may not know, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a talented pie-maker, who longs to escape her unhappy life and loveless marriage. The perfect opportunity presents itself when a baking competition comes to town; however, Jenna unexpectedly discovers that she’s pregnant, shattering her dreams of a fresh start and a new life. Behind Jenna’s story, the show displays a variety of themes such as mother-daughter relationships and legacies, life-long friendships, female empowerment, and emancipation in the face of oppression, and even the healing powers of baking.

Besides being a heartfelt and uplifting celebration of friendship and motherhood as Jenna summons the strength within herself to change her life and find her own happiness, Waitress is also the first production ever to have an all-female creative team on the West End! In addition to the music and lyrics composed by the fabulous Sara Bareilles, the show features a book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Diane Paulus, who brilliantly stated that they were chosen because they “were the people who were best for the job—and guess what, they are all women”.

Moreover, on September 25th, Sara Bareilles, the singer and songwriter behind the beautiful music of Waitress, made a special trip from New York to promote her show in London at the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. The lucky ones who were able to attend her launch event were welcomed with mini-pies and other treats as they made their way to their seats and witnessed the magic of Sara’s voice. After treating the audience with two of her hit songs, “Love Song” and “Brave”, Sara introduced Waitress with a moving video of the original cast and creative team. She was then joined on stage by Gavin Creel to perform “Bad Idea” and “You Matter To Me” before singing the beautiful and heart-wrenching solo “She Used to Be Mine”, which left everyone in tears, including the host of the event, Ruthie Henshall, who had to take a few minutes before starting the Q&A.

Sara Bareilles in Waitress (Photo: Josh Lehrer)

At the end of the show, Sara described the transfer to the West End as “a dream come true […] We are so proud of this beautiful show, and can’t wait to share the story of Jenna with a whole new audience and welcome them into the world of Waitress with open arms and plenty of pie.”

So if I were you, I’ll hurry up to buy tickets and get to the Adelphi Theatre, which is going to be Waitress’s new home for, I hope, a very long time!