Nashville Repertory Theatre
presents
Waitress
Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
— Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly —
Sept. 13 – 22, 2024
Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s
Polk Theatre
505 Deaderick St., Nashville
Tickets
Nashville Parent recommends ages 13+
The Rep’s 24-25 season is off to a great start with “Waitress!” May the season unfold as enjoyably. Head over to the Rep to get yourself a warm slice of their freshly baked pie!
When all else fails … bake! It’s comfort you can rely on. In the fall (damn, you pumpkin spice!), during holidays, for a homemade birthday cake, or even when you’ve got an abusive husband you need to move on from. Wait, what? The premise of this musical production — now open at Nashville Repertory Theatre through Sept. 22 — may be far fetched — an abused woman can bake her way out of life’s troubles — but it’s not without its truths or its hilarity. Healthy, lasting friendship is the key to nurturing and restoring a broken woman and working through life’s problems demands time and risk before the reward.
Sarah Aili is Jenna, a pie diner waitress stuck in an abusive marriage who bakes her way to freedom.
Sugar. Butter. Flour.
Annabelle Fox as Dawn and real-life husband Douglas Waterbury-Tieman (Ogie) provide heaps of comedy to the show.
“Waitress” opened on Broadway to good reviews in 2016, based on the 2007 independent film of the same name.
The action, directed by Lauren Shouse, mostly takes place at Joe’s Pie Diner, set in a fictitious Southern town. A self-protective baker/waitress, Jenna (a capable and gentle Sarah Aili), is haunted by the warm memory of learning to bake delicious pies with her loving mother, herself an abused woman. From Act I and onward we overhear the mother’s ethereal, “Sugar, butter, flour,” like the steady beat of a metronome, demanding Jenna’s patience and reminding that any good recipe requires one important step at a time. Jenna bakes all the pies for Joe’s, pouring everything she’s going through emotionally into each recipe.
Christopher Bailey plays a perfectly awkward and authentic Dr. Pomatter who can’t resist Jenna’s Mermaid Marshmallow pie.
And what recipes! Jenna’s stuck in a dead-end, abusive marriage with a brute of a husband (Dustin Davis), who confiscates her tip money and dignity over and over again. And she’s pregnant. Filled with shame, she doesn’t want a baby, but for reasons unknown, she’s determined to keep it.
Her friendships with the other waitresses at the diner, Dawn (a fun and plucky Annabelle Fox) and tried-but-true Becky (Piper Jones) bolster Jenna along. All three women need a saving of sorts and great sex with the right partner seems to bring it about. For Jenna it’s an affair with her obstetrician (a perfectly awkward Christopher Bailey); for Dawn it’s with a nerdy Southern suitor Ogie (the talented and clever Douglas Waterbury-Tieman) and for Becky, surprisingly, it’s with the grouchy cook in the pie diner, Cal (Bakari King).
A proficient ensemble of seven provide scenic color, movement and set changes and a top-notch band of six musicians, set upstage, give perfect accompaniment.
Upbeat and Tasty
On opening night, Act One started out slowly, filled with concentrate for the plot, but not without laughs. The book (Jessie Nelson) is filled with humor that propels the action along. Act Two kicked the show into gear, culminating with a hilarious scene where Dawn and Ogie (dressed as Betsy Ross and Paul Revere) enjoy great intercourse (as do the doctor/patient and the cook/waitress).
Of course, the multi-talented Sara Bareilles’ (music and lyrics) song, “She Used to Be Mine” is the show’s signature number. Sara Ailis sings it beautifully; but is it possible that the set change can wait until the applause? Seeing bodies moving set pieces during the leading lady’s ballad was a distraction.
But don’t get me wrong. Waitress is a warm and witty show with a scrumptiously happy pay-off: a baby CAN completely change and strengthen a woman. Kindness and patience IS its own reward. And even if it’s painful, be sure to be nice to your boss: You never know how he might turn around to repay you.
Discover More Great Things to Do!
