Review: 'Waitress' Tour at the Bushnell

Hartford, CT - Press night at the Bushnell for the touring company performance of WAITRESS marked an unusual experience for this reviewer. While many of my Connecticut Critics Circle colleagues frequently review the tours of a show that they have seen while it ran (or continues to run) on Broadway, WAITRESS marked one of the few times that I had the opportunity to review a tour that I had the opportunity to see on Broadway first. (WICKED is the only other show that comes to mind.) I had managed to attend a performance of WAITRESS on an always fun Broadway Experience trip with the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education in 2016 with the wonderful Jessie Mueller in the role of Jenna.

“Sugar, butter, flour”

WAITRESS is the tale of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert pie-maker who longs for a way out of her small town and scarily rocky marriage. She pours her heart into her baking, as she crafts pies with names that reflect the emotional roller coaster ride that is her life, such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie and (spoiler alert “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie. A fortuitous baking contest and an unwise liaison point Jenna toward a chance for a fresh start, if she has the courage to seize it. Ultimately uplifting, the musical celebrates friendship, the road to motherhood and the magic of a well-made pie.

“She is messy, but she’s kind”

WAITRESS was brought to life by a groundbreaking, all female creative team. This Tony Award nominated musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles (“Love Song,” “Brave”) with a book by Jessie Nelson and direction by Diane Paulus (PIPPIN, FINDING NEVERLAND.) The musical is based upon the 2007 film of the same title that was written by Adrienne Shelly; the orchestrations were written by Ms. Bareilles along with The (fabulous) Waitress Band.

My review of WAITRESS on Broadway contains some sad background information about Ms. Shelly.

“Why did I get drunk? I do stupid things when I'm drunk... like sleep with my husband!”

Christine Dwyer gave a delicious performance as Jenna; she sang so beautifully that it was easy to see why she had played Elphaba in WICKED, Sylvia in FINDING NEVERLAND and Maureen in RENT (Broadway/tour.) Ms. Dwyer performed Elphaba on the Tony Awards and appeared in NBC’s JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE with Sara Bareilles. As Becky, the sassy waitress in the diner, Melody A. Betts (JCS LIVE as well) gave a big performance and knew how to say a lot comedically with just a look. Ephie Aardema, who has appeared at our very own Goodspeed, was adorable as the geeky waitress who has a great character arc. On Broadway I remembered Jenna Ushkowitz of “Glee” in this fun role.

Jeremy Woodward was convincing as the hard-to-like husband of Jenna; he actually mouthed “sorry” as he took his bow at curtain call. Steven Good was, in fact, quite good in the role of the handsome but unprofessional doctor. Ryan C. Dunkin was memorable as the big man in the kitchen. Jeremy Morse reprised the role that he played on Broadway, the character (and he is a character) Ogie, who falls in love with the unlikely Dawn. Mr. Morse stood in for Christopher Fitzgerald at the Broadway matinee that my son and I attended in 2016. The very young Giuliana Aprile Bartlett makes her theatre debut as Lulu; she shares the role Charlotte Sydney Harrington, and was just adorable when she appeared in the final scene and the curtain call.

And guess who got the role of Joe, the owner of the diner? None other than Richard Kline, who played Larry Dallas on THREE’S COMPANY back in the day. Although his hair is now white, it was easy to pick out the actor who appeared as The Wizard in the WICKED tour. He did a great job of bringing this blustery character with a heart to life.

The ensemble includes Rheaume Crenshaw, Adam J. Levy, Lulu Lloyd (SCHOOL OF ROCK,) Rashad Naylor, Gerianne Perez, The Hartt School grad Alex Tripp, and Kevin Zak.

That ‘Waitress Band’ wins the prize for best integration of musicians into the action of a musical. They slid on to the stage on a platform into a back corner of the stage and fit easily into the diner, even with a grand piano. Some of the members of the band stepped out of the group to be highlighted during a number. It showed such respect for the talented musicians, who include music director Robert Cookman on keyboards, conductor Lilli Wosk on that grand piano, Tom Jorgensen on drums, Lexi Bodick on bass, Nick Anton on cello and guitar and Ed Hamilton on guitar.

The tour features some pies under glass, but they did not reach all the way up the sides of the stage as they had on Broadway in the set designed by Scott Pask. The beautiful lighting by Ken Billington made the many set changes look even better. Suttirat Anne Larlarb designed that setting-appropriate costumes and Lorin Latarro choreographed some gentle dancing and pie baking that you have to see to fully appreciate its intricacies.

Overall, WAITRESS is a drama/comedy that takes the audience on an emotional (if sometimes predictable) ride. It is difficult not to sympathize with Jenna as she navigates her way out of her awful marriage and many in the audience root for a happy ending. I found myself enjoying the music by Ms. Bareilles even more at my second viewing, and I appreciated the message of female empowerment even more at this time of my life.

It was a pleasure to find out that I was seated next to the legendary John Ozerhoski, the former host of Backstage with Johnny O on WZBG. My son CJ had the seat on the other side of me, for he always lets me have the seat closest the aisle. The musician who lives in my house shared some music-theory inspired opinions about the musical numbers with the always gracious John and me. I did not agree, or perhaps I didn’t really follow most of it.

I was grateful, however, that CJ drove me to The Bushnell for the press performance where I saw many of my CCC colleagues. Although parking in Hartford on this busy press night was easier than we expected, finding an open entrance to the highway proved extremely difficult. If you go, and I encourage you to do so, plan on extra time to get out of Hartford.

A public service message about Security
The safety and security of all Bushnell guests is a top priority.
To ensure the safety of guests, The Bushnell has enhanced its security efforts at all public events as of April 1, 2018. All bags are subject to search, backpacks and bags larger than 12”x12”x6” are prohibited, and those exiting the building will be subject to search upon re-entry.
All guests are strongly encouraged to arrive early for security and bag screening; exterior doors open one hour prior to your ticketed performance.
For complete list of prohibited items and security guidelines, please click HERE to see our full list of policies and services.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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