REVIEW: Waitress the musical

My first thought upon hearing that the movie Waitress was being turned into a musical was that producers must be out of original ideas and in need of an easy way to churn out another musical.  Then I heard that Sara Bareilles wrote the music. It piqued my interest but I still entered the theater very skeptical.

Waitress: The Musical starts out mirroring a traditional television sitcom. The script—based on the 2007 motion picture—includes a predictable queue of jokes based on romantic comedy clichés, unnaturally flamboyant physical humor, and frequent winking pauses to prompt the audience for a laugh, which a vast majority did. While this sitcom style isn’t my cup of entertainment tea, Waitress ultimately seduced me about a third of the way into the show. Once past the lackluster start, Waitress finds its soul with quirky comedic performances, great music, and a wonderful story of a woman finding her way in the world that left me cheering for both the characters and the production. At the finale, there was simply no way not to smile from ear to ear and soak in all the warm fuzzies.  Despite the slow start, I was won over and in the mood to eat an entire pie.  Did I mention that the entire theater smelled like freshly baked apple pie throughout the show?  Theatrical confectionary aromatherapy for the win!  Waitress: The Musical: 1, Cynical Reviewer: 0.  When you go to see Waitress, make sure you come with a full stomach or some extra cash to spend on a slice of apple pie for sale in the lobby, as the suggestion to consume massive amounts of crusty delights is more prevalent in this musical than anything else I’ve seen this week, which says a lot considering that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Waitress is at the Orpheum Theatre through November 26, 2017. Tickets start at $39.

DEAL ALERT: A very limited amount of Student/Educator Rush tickets will be available for all performances. 2 tickets per valid student or educator ID. $25 per ticket, cash only. Available at the box office two hours prior to showtime. Subject to availability, seats together not guaranteed.

Photo by Joan Marcus