Waitress at PTC

I really love the musical Waitress so I was thrilled when it was announced as the final show this season at PTC. I went to see it last night and it exceeded my expectations in every way! Jenna (Claire Saunders) uses baking to cope with her dead-end job as a waitress and her unhappy marriage to an abusive husband (Brent Thiessen). When she learns that she is unexpectedly pregnant and begins an ill-advised affair with her gynecologist (Ben Jacoby), she expresses her hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations by telling the audience the ingredients for a pie that will help her current situation (play close attention to the specials board), always beginning with "Sugar. Butter. Flour." Eventually she realizes that the one ingredient she is missing is courage! I think all of the songs in this show are incredibly clever, especially "What's Inside," "Opening Up," and "It Only Takes a Taste," because, while they are ostensibly about baking, they are also great metaphors for life. However, my favorite song is "She Used to Be Mine" because it is such a powerful turning point for Jenna. I have been lucky enough to see Jessie Mueller, who originated the role of Jenna, perform it on Broadway and Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics, perform it in concert and, in my opinion, Saunders is on par with both of them because her rendition is incredibly raw and emotional (I had tears in my eyes during the entire performance). The rest of the cast is also outstanding and I was very moved by the beautiful harmonies between Saunders and Candace Marie Woods as Becky and Lexi Rabadi as Dawn in "A Soft Place to Land" and "Everything Changes" as well as between Saunders and Jacoby in "You Matter to Me." In addition to the poignant messages about finding your inner strength, this show is also really funny and the cast does a great job with the witty one-liners and physical comedy, particularly in the songs "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" and "Bad Idea" (they were definitely big crowd-pleasers last night). The use of the ensemble is brilliant because they are all distinct characters within the diner but they also come together to act out what is happening in the narrative of the songs (this is especially effective in "Bad Idea") and they assist Jenna whenever she makes the pies. I've seen this iconic show several times and I really appreciated all of the subtle touches used to differentiate it from other well-known productions, including the yellow gingham fabric used for the uniforms and the neon used throughout the diner. If you have seen this on Broadway or on tour, you will definitely not be disappointed with PTC's version and, if you have never seen it before, you are in for an amazing evening of laughter and tears! It runs through May 17 and tickets may be purchased here.