Waitress at the Eccles

A few years ago my friend Esther and I went on a quick theatre trip to NYC.  I chose to see the revival of She Loves Me and Esther picked Waitress.  I wasn't really that keen on seeing Waitress but I am so glad that Esther picked it because I ended up loving it!  The original Broadway cast, especially Jessie Meuller, was outstanding and the song "She Used To Be Mine" brought me to tears!  Needless to say I was really excited for the chance to see it again at the Eccles Theatre last night and I loved it just as much as the Broadway production.  It tells the story of how Jenna (Desi Oakley, in her final performance in the role) uses baking to cope with her dead-end job as a waitress in a diner and her unhappy marriage to an abusive husband (Nick Bailey).  When she learns that she is pregnant, and then begins an affair with her gynecologist (Bryan Fenkart), she expresses her hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations through the names of the pies she bakes each morning for the diner: Deep Shit Blueberry Pie, Berry the Bullshit Pie, A Little Wild Wild Berry Pie, In the Dark Chocolate Pie, etc.  Whenever she is overwhelmed everything freezes and she tells the audience the ingredients for her latest pie, always beginning with "Sugar, Butter, Flour."  In the end, the ingredient she needs is courage!  The songs, written by Sara Bareilles, are fabulous and I especially like "What's Inside," "Opening Up," and "It Only Takes a Taste" because, while they are about baking, they are also metaphors for life!  So clever!  My favorite song is, of course, "She Used To Be Mine" and Oakley performed it with so much passion that I had tears once again!  While I did cry, I also laughed and laughed in many parts of the show, particularly "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" and "Bad Idea" because the choreography is absolutely hilarious!   It is also really fun to see the live band playing in the diner and to watch the cast actually make the pies on stage!  I really enjoyed watching this show again and I highly recommend it!  Waitress runs at the Eccles Theatre until Sunday and tickets may be purchased here.