Waitress opens at Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway in Orlando serves up another slice of its tasty musical “Waitress,” playing at the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando through to 25th March 2018. Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 motion picture and a musical score by Sara Bareilles, Waitress tells the story of Jenna (Desi Oakley), an expert pie maker in a small town who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. It’s a charming and often hysterical show set at Joe’s Diner somewhere in the American South.
The show opens with Jenna beginning another day at the diner along with two other waitresses, Becky, who is sassy and tough and Dawn who comes across as anxious yet is completely lovable. It’s not long before Jenna becomes distracted by an unwanted pregnancy wherein she reveals that she has an unloving relationship with her husband, Earl, and that the latent pregnancy was the result of a drunken night (“I do stupid things when I’m drunk, like sleep with my husband.”) When life becomes too stressful, she slips into her own world where she becomes the creative force behind the diner’s ever-changing menu of creative baked goods. She draws a lot of inspiration from her unhappy marriage and her inventions reflect this, with names like “White Knuckle Cream Pie” and “My Eggs Have Betrayed Me Pie.” A baking contest in a nearby county then becomes the focus and the possibility of creating a new life is enticing.
Waitress is a story where women turn to the bonds of sisterhood to to look out for each other. The diner’s gruff manager and cook, Cal (Ryan G. Dunkin) is a grouchy presence, always blustering but often put in his place, and the diner’s owner, Joe (Larry Marshall) is the sort of old-school male who regards the tragedy of a long-ago girlfriend’s miscarriage as “a close call.” A superb and show stealing performance by Jeremy Morse, as Ogie, livens things up when Dawn hooks up with him online and agrees to meet for a date. Ogie manages to bore her to tears, and yet when he shows up at the diner, eager to further their budding relationship, he transforms from “stalker elf” to become her soul mate.
Jenna then gets to meet her new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Bryan Fenkart), a twitchy, nervous sort. He’s charming in a goofy, lost boy sort of way, but he’s also awkward and uneasy in his own skin and eventually the two launch into a wildly inappropriate affair. Jenna’s drawn to Dr. Pomatter’s kindness, while he’s smitten by her sweet disposition. The relationship soon becomes apparent to many people, including Dr. Pomatter’s nurse and this makes for many interesting and amusing moments.
Jenna soon goes into labor and suddenly the cries of the newborn baby are heard. Jenna names the baby girl “Lulu,” and falls in love with her immediately. Earl, disappointed that the baby is a girl, tells her to make good on her promise not to love Lulu more than him, but Jenna bluntly tells him that she hasn’t loved him in years and wants a divorce. The relationship with Dr. Pomatter also fizzles out and as she leaves the hospital, Jenna remembers a note given to her by the dying Joe. She opens it to learn that he has left her the diner in his will with the only condition being she names a pie after him.
This show is an enjoyable feast but you never forget Jenna’s circumstances and the underlying message that in reality, this is actually how life plays out for many women. Bareilles catalogue of ballads and anthems work superbly as the show moves along and the interchange of sets by Scott Pask leave an uncluttered but airy feel.
Tickets are now available for Waitress and may be purchased online at
drphillipscenter.org, by calling 844.513.2014 or by visiting the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at 445 S. Magnolia Avenue between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. Online and phone ticket purchases are subject to handling fees.
