Theatre Review: Broadway Across Canada’s Waitress

What: Waitress
Where: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
When: November 26 – December 1, 2019

Waitress is funny, fresh, and wildly entertaining, offering audiences social commentary with relatable and quirky characters. 

In 2016, Waitress was adapted from the 2007 film of the same name to a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics written by Sara Bareilles. It depicts Jenna (Bailey McCall), a waitress and an expert pie-maker, as she navigates through her pregnancy while dealing with her abusive husband, Earl (Clayton Howe), and having an affair with her married doctor, Dr. Pomatter (David Socolar).

I have seen the film starring Keri Russell and Edmonton’s own Nathan Fillion. It’s not an Oscar-award winning film by any means, but it is a film that I love watching. The issue with the film is that it’s overly depressing, unmusical, and sometimes weird. The musical adaptation is dark and verges on depressing as well, but the upbeat songs and quirky dialogue keep it light and enjoyable.

The set design of the entire musical was amazing. It ultimately became so integral to the story that it became a character of its own. From the quick, seamless transitions of scenes to the performers’ dance-filled choreography, the set had to be ready to take it all. It was also interesting to see how the set would interact with the characters’ emotions. For instance, during the song, She Used To Be Mine, the curtains box McCall is in when she sings the chorus shows how trapped she is; as the song progresses, the curtains open wider to foreshadow Jenna’s world opening up later on.

In a musical where one lighting mistake could mess up the entire choreography, the pressure was high. This challenge was well taken care of by the lighting crew as the lighting direction was incredible.

Bailey McCall as Jenna was commendable — never faltering at all. The entire cast’s performance was amazing. Each of them could easily be a lead in any other performance and they balanced each other well. The chemistry between McCall and Socolar was electrifying and endearing.

Dawn (Gabriella Marzetta), Jenna’s friend, was adorable. I could relate to Dawn’s romantic troubles of being afraid to open herself to love. Brian Lundy’s Ogdie could teach a master class on physical comedy — honestly, the entire cast’s physicality was impressive because it’s no easy feat singing, dancing and throwing themselves around the stage.

My only point of contention was with the character of Becky (Kennedy Salters). In the original film or other theatre productions, Becky isn’t normally played by a black actress, but in this adaptation, she is. I appreciate it when directors make an effort to cast more diverse actors and Kennedy Salters, a beautiful powerhouse singer, was funny and witty. However, Becky as a character plays off the stereotypical black woman trope, which made me question why they changed the race of the character to fit that specific mould. For instance, Becky is louder compared to her movie counterpart (played by Cheryl Hines) who is still sassy, but has less attitude as well. That is not to say directors can’t cast a black woman to play Becky, but rather, in this version, they made her into an unfortunate caricature of black women, instead of her fully-fledged out character.

Nevertheless, Waitress showcases the complexities of gender and marriage. Jenna’s struggle with domestic violence and her hesitation with being a mother is not unique, exemplifying how difficult it can be to move away from an abusive marriage and the way women can end up trapped in horrible relationships.

I did enjoy the semi-realistic ending, as it was bittersweet. It’s still cheerful, but it’s not a typical fairytale conclusion.

Waitress is easily one of the most fun shows anyone can see. If you don’t think too hard about it, you will find it to be an enjoyable, fluffy piece. Even when you don’t love everything about the show, you still leave the theatre with an infectious smile and a strong urge to eat some pie.