Review by Suzanne Tate
Waitress premiered on Broadway in 2016, nine years after the movie was first launched at the Sundance Film Festival. Waitress has built a loyal following through its combination of quirky humour, grounded domestic drama and a score by Sara Bareilles. The musical production remains largely faithful to the original film, balancing moments of warmth and comedy with themes of abuse, infidelity and emotional isolation. While the production itself is polished and often impressive, particularly in its performances and staging, I found myself somewhat torn between admiring the craft of the show and emotionally connecting with it as a musical experience.
Natalie Bassingthwaighte leads the production as Jenna, the pie-baking waitress trapped in an unhappy marriage and searching for a way to reclaim her sense of self. Although primarily known as a singer, her acting throughout the production was consistently strong, portraying Jenna with warmth, frustration and vulnerability. Vocally, her performance developed significantly as the show progressed. Early in the production, particularly during the opening number, the band and ensemble harmonies occasionally overwhelmed her vocals, making some lyrics difficult to distinguish. This issue was not limited to Bassingthwaighte alone, with lyrics throughout several numbers lacking clarity at times, reducing the ability of the songs to fully carry the narrative in the way musical theatre songs often do.
However, Bassingthwaighte truly came into her own musically in Act 2 with “What’s Inside”. The performance combined impressive vocal power with genuine emotional depth, resulting in one of the strongest moments of the evening. The audience response was immediate, with extended applause briefly pausing the performance. It was one of the few musical moments in the production that lingered afterwards, due as much to the emotional honesty of the performance as to the song itself. Another standout musical performance came from Gabriyel Thomas as Becky, whose rendition of “I Didn’t Plan It” showcased an outstanding vocal ability.
The supporting cast frequently stole scenes throughout the production. Mackenzie Dunn and Gareth Isaac brought enormous charm and comedic timing to Dawn and Ogie, with their awkward but endearing interactions providing much of the show’s humour. John Xintavelonis as Cal and Thomas as Becky also brought warmth and energy to the diner scenes, creating an amusing but believable relationship. From the perspective of pure acting skill, one of the most impressive, however, was John Waters as Joe. Waters disappeared entirely into the role, delivering a performance so natural and lived-in that it became impossible to see the performer beneath the character. His dry humour and understated emotional sincerity made Joe one of the production’s highlights.
Rob Mills’ portrayal of Dr Pomatter proved more divisive. Mills leaned heavily into the physical comedy of the role, often using exaggerated facial expressions and highly stylised comic reactions. While this approach generated laughs from the audience, it occasionally bordered on caricature and, during numbers such as “Bad Idea”, verged close to slapstick. For me, this undermined some of the realism within the relationship between Jenna and Pomatter, making it more difficult to fully invest in their emotional connection and understand Jenna’s attraction to him.
In contrast, Keanu Gonzalez delivered a highly effective performance as Earl, Jenna’s controlling and unpleasant husband. He remained consistently unlikeable throughout, generating a strong audience reaction, particularly when Jenna finally asserted herself later in the show. However, the realism and toxicity of these scenes also contributed to my mixed response to Act 1 overall. While this discomfort is clearly intentional, I found the tension difficult to escape, particularly as the score itself lacked the kind of memorable, uplifting musical numbers that often offset darker subject matter in musical theatre. Aside from “What’s Inside”, few songs remained memorable after the performance, and I found myself admiring the performances more than the music itself.
Visually, however, the production was consistently engaging. The set design by Scott Pask, cleverly rotated between the diner, Jenna’s home and Dr Pomatter’s office, with wheeled counters, shelves and bakery props allowing for fluid transitions and inventive choreography (by Lorin Latarro). An interesting addition to the staging was the use of scent effects, with cinnamon and apple aromas drifting through the theatre during interval and near the conclusion of the show, subtly reinforcing the importance of pie-making within Jenna’s world, which was reinforced by the filled pie storage cases that rose from the stage on each side, to the top of the proscenium arch.
The costumes, by Suttirat Anne Larlarb, appropriately suited the setting and characters without drawing particular attention to themselves. One staging choice that proved slightly distracting, however, was the use of ensemble members in ordinary street clothes during baking sequences, where ingredients appeared to be passed magically into Jenna’s hands. For me, these moments may have been more effective had the ensemble been costumed neutrally, in basic black for example, allowing the illusion to feel more stylised and less literal.
While I remained somewhat conflicted about the show itself, particularly musically, the production undeniably contains strong performances, inventive staging and moments of genuine emotional impact. Act 2 proved significantly more engaging and enjoyable once some of the emotional tension established earlier in the story began to resolve, and the production ultimately succeeded in balancing humour, heartbreak and hope. Even where aspects of the material itself did not entirely resonate with me, the talent and professionalism of the cast ensured the audience remained invested throughout.
Waitress is now playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne’s East End Theatre District.
For more information and tickets: https://waitressthemusical.com.au/
