You won’t need a KitchenAid stand mixer to stir up your emotions when you have Waitress.
Art by Katherine Ku
Rhythmic whispers of “sugar, butter, flour,” echo across the Brooks Atkinson Theater on May 20, 2019, to signal the start of the Grammy Award-winning Broadway show, Waitress. The curtains lift to reveal the legendary Shoshana Bean making her grand return to Broadway since her 2005 role in Wicked as Elphaba. This time, Bean takes on the role of Jenna, a waitress and avid baker at Joe’s Pie Diner who turns to baking as a way out of an abusive relationship. Bean’s elegant voice in the show’s first number, “What’s Inside,” was like a melt-in-the-mouth strawberry mousse at the start of our 3-course meal – an unusual proceeding, but acceptable.
In a whirlwind, the set changes from a dim, blue-lit industrial kitchen to a bright, pastel-colored, bustling diner, the live band picking up the beat in the same way our hearts pound in anticipation for the first course. The characters pile in one by one in step with my favorite exchange in the show from the title number, “Opening Up,” (you must imagine it in a Southern accent):
“JENNA. What’s the special pie today?”
“Deep shit blueberry bacon.”
“Deep shit??”
“O-oh dish! Sorry Cal!”
This number provides the audience a peek into a typical day at the establishment, complete with an introduction of the main characters, as well as the false and sarcastic affability plaguing the diner. First enter Jenna, working tirelessly in the weeds while dealing with the looming worry that she may be pregnant with her abusive husband Earl. Then enter Becky (Charity Angel Dawson), whipping her head around, holding her tray high, and strutting with conviction, while the petite Dawn (Lenne Klingaman) scurries in with her signature red frames and clumsiness. Cal, played by Benny Elledge, is the scruffy, grumpy manager, and the only person in the theater who neither enjoys nor partakes in the concept of breaking into song at any possible moment. Nonetheless, he is an integral character, his rough impartiality holding down the fort at the diner. The upbeat instrumentals of the number radiate jubilance, but when listened closely, are matched with lyrics that don’t quite reflect the same excitement – the diner staff robotically greet customers and call out orders with forced, pre=programmed hospitality. The catchy beat tricks the audience into believing the exuberant aura over the concealed dispiritedness.
In the subsequent number, “The Negative,” Jenna is urged by her two most trusted companions to take a pregnancy test. With the distinct, strong, and comforting harmony performed by all three ladies, this number serves as the utmost embodiment of their close relationship. This number abandons the fake cheerfulness of “Opening Up” and relies on a more flowing beat, with the non-overpowering instrumentals taking on a supportive role while the waitresses sing words of tough love to each other.
The next major number in the show, “What Baking Can Do,” shows Jenna channeling her fears and anxiety into an activity that empowers her, baking. While her predecessor, Tony Award-winning actress Jessie Mueller, applies a lighter and sweeter touch to the song, Bean strategically kneads her voice into the lyrics with much richer resonance. The catchy tune and cute baking metaphors are not what makes the song so memorable, but rather the fact that it is so relatable. We often find ourselves in Jenna’s position, sprinkling some flour over our problems to bury them – out of sight, out of mind. The song’s playful and dotted piano keys at the beginning illustrate this point – just laugh and joke about it till it goes away. But at some point, we realize that the issue won’t go away until it has been fully accepted. The song transitions into a pensive, legato melody, mimicking the gears turning in our brains. And finally, the climax of the song hits, and we hear Jenna belt with conviction and passion for the first time, “So with flour on my hands, I’ll show them all how goddamn happy I am!” Bean executes this portion perfectly, tipping from delicacy to fierceness.
The next thing to do after finding out you’re pregnant? Go see an OB/GYN. Or in Jenna’s case, pay a visit to Dr. Pomatter, the handsome, charming, and pretty much everything that is the stark opposite of your husband Earl. Explain your medical concerns, bring him some pies to break him out of his sugar-free diet, and proceed to have a series of affairs with this married man. Dr. Pomatter is played by Jeremy Jordan; you can imagine the audience’s gushing reaction as the Ithaca College alum, award-winning Broadway star and TV actor, walks through the door of his clinic for the first time.
Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan pose for the Waitress playbill
This love story is far from the typical “prince charming and damsel in distress leave their worries behind and run away together,” however. Rather, the sole purpose of Dr. Pomatter is to help Jenna tap into her true potential and offer the moral support she couldn’t find at home. While “Bad Idea” was a comical number featuring all three waitresses and their affairs and dalliances, “You Matter to Me” serves as a revelation for both Jenna and Dr. Pomatter that what they truly cherished from their relationship is the simple fact that each genuinely cared for the other. Rather than project this onto what she wants in her future counterpart, Jenna uses this slow balled to recite a touching monologue to her future child:
Dear baby
I hope someday
Somebody wants to hold you for twenty minutes straight
All they do is wrap you in your arms
Without an ounce of selfishness to it
It was no longer about Jenna. It was about her baby, and that drives her to enter the Springfield pie-making contest for a chance to leave Earl.
Waitress also showcases Becky and Dawn’s own set of life problems. Dawn, made famous by Kimiko Glenn, struggles with self-confidence and closes herself off to any romantic prospects until she meets Ogie, a strong-willed and equally-gawky suitor. His quirky dance moves, impulsive decision to buy pie for everyone, and description of his feelings as one of loving Dawn like a “table,” were the exact comic reliefs we needed after watching the weighty travails of Jenna. At the same time, Becky reconciles with the fact that she is responsible for her own happiness through the song “I Didn’t Plan It.” She unapologetically makes the decision to have an affair with their boss Cal, knowing that she must move on from a tough relationship with her very-ill husband. We see Becky handling her vulnerability in the most resilient way by providing the most powerful vocals of the musical, with flaring dynamics and vibrato.
In the end, “Opening Up – Finale” undergoes a complete metamorphosis. Jenna gives birth to her daughter Lulu and takes on her new single life as the owner of “Lulu’s Pies.” In contrast to the chaos and jittery first rendition of the song, the reprise is resolute, pompous, and unyieldingly lively.
Waitress in its initial form as a film never got to be a major blockbuster hit and was criticized by many critics in major publications as being bland and one-dimensional. But thanks to Sara Bareilles, the lyrical and musical mastermind behind the songs, Waitress’s characters had the chance to become more substantial. Originally only being known for her top hits “Love Song” and King of Anything,” Bareilles has definitely made a new name for herself as a songwriter. Bareilles and Waitress are the human forms of peanut butter and chocolate. Each brings out the other ingredient’s strongest flavors.
As Dr. Pomatter says, “it only takes a taste” to know it’s good. So, I urge you. Dig in.