Jenna is incredibly creative and is not aware of how talented she is, of how her numbed sensibility, which she only lets out in the kitchen, makes her a strong and powerful woman.

"I can fix this
I can twist it into sugar, butter covered pieces
Never mind what's underneath it
I have done it before
I'll bake me a door to help me get through
I learned that from you
Mama, it's amazing what baking can do"

From the song “What Baking Can Do”

The way she feels about baking, the way she designs and creates inventive pie recipes (and their respective names) that involve unusual ingredients, the way she displays a kind of narrative and tells a story through her pies… it all lines up to show us a deeply emotional character trapped in a numbed outside.

"That reminds me of a thing we would say
Me and my momma in the kitchen when we’d bake
She’d say Jenna, you can tell the whole story with a taste"

From the song “It Only Takes a Taste”

I feel that Jenna is not only trapped in her town and her abusive relationship, she is also trapped in herself. For a long time she feels like she does not deserve to want anything more than what she already has. Jenna is by nature an experimental person, but she’s afraid of going forward, of taking the leap and entering that pie baking competition to prove to herself that she actually is a strong and talented woman… Someone special.

But all of that changes when she finds out she’s pregnant with her husband (the result of a drunken night)… and when she meets Dr. Pommater.

Drew Gehling and Jessie Mueller. Photo: Joan Marcus

DR. POMMATER

Dr. Jim Pommater meets Jenna when he fills in for Jenna's actual OB/Gynecologist. Despite an awkward first encounter, he immediately feels enchanted by the taste of her confection: a pie she had intended to give to her regular doctor but ended up gifting him.

Jim Pommater is charming, handsome, and a bit awkward. They clearly connect on a deep emotional level and he is intrigued by her compassion and resilience. He is sweet and kind to her, something she finds "addictive", as she later tells her baby, not having that kind of interactions with her own husband.

During their affair, Dr. Pommater shows Jenna that she really is valued and that no matter how “wrong” their situation is, she is important to him.

"Because you matter to me
Simple and plain and not much to ask from somebody
You matter to me
I promise you do, you, you matter too
I promise you do, you'll see
You matter to me"

From the song “You Matter to Me”

Other Characters

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Kimiko Glenn, Ryan Vasquez and Aisha Jackson. Photo: Joan Marcus

DAWN

Dawn is adorable, there is so much anxiety and quirkness inscribed on her personality that she can't see that for herself at the beginning of the play.

She has never had a boyfriend before and that is clearly something that makes her feel self-conscious. She fills out an online dating profile and soon gets a response, which makes her extremely nervous because she has to step out of her comfort zone, one that she has set out in order not to get hurt.

"How am I supposed to operate
If I'm just tossed around by fate?
Like on an unexpected date?"

From the song "When He Sees Me"

I think this song hit close to home when I first heard it. I don't think I've ever seen so many of my (past) insecurities represented in one character on a musical play before. Dawn's own insecurities have prevented her from going out on the world and meet someone special, and let herself be special to someone else. The whole prospect of going out on a blind date scares her and brings out those insecurities.

"What if when he sees me, what if he doesn't like it?
What if he runs the other way and I can't hide from it?
What happens then?
If when he knows me, he's only disappointed?
What if I give myself away, to only get it given back?
I couldn't live with that"

From the song "When He Sees Me"

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Keala Settle. Photo:Joan Marcus

BECKY

Becky is sassy and displays a bit of a tough-love personality throughout the whole play. I think she is a really strong character and is kind of a rock-like role model to Jenna and Dawn.

She has a strong personality but I think that only covers up a soft interior. She also is trapped in a routine in that little town, she also wishes to be free… even if that means making a few mistakes on the way.

“I didn't plan it
Taking back what's been taken for granted
And I can't stand it
I'm sick of the way I've been waiting to break free
I needed saving
And a good mistake needed making
Maybe you need the same thing"

From the song "I didn't Plan it"

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There are other important characters that I should mention!

Earl Hunterson	Ogie
Nick Cordero. Photo: Joan Marcus	Christopher Fitzgerald. Photo: Joan Marcus
Earl is Jenna's possesive and controlling husband. He is often criticizing her low paying job as a waitress and suggesting she should give up baking. When he finds out about her pregnancy he makes her promise that he will never love that baby more than she loves him.	Ogie has a blind date with Dawn and he is instantly smitten by her. However, she does not feel the same way. Dawn begs Ogie to leave her alone, but he refuses, insistent on getting to know her better, and although he was annoyingly insistant at the beginning, they soon find out they have a lot in common

Joe	Cal
Dakin Matthews. Photo: Joan Marcus	Eric Anderson Photo: Joan Marcus
Joe is Joe's Dinner owner... Duh. He is also a regular customer of the dinner, a rather difficult one. Joe is a bit paternal to Jenna, although not in an obvious way, and he actually is the one that suggests she should enter a local pie contest.	Cal is Jenna, Dawn and Becky's boss. He acts like a grumpy man but we later find out he might not be as unfriendly as he seems.

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On a general note I think that Earl's character was made out to be too horrible from the beginning and he doesn't show any shades, any glimpse of fragility or sensitivity. I am a true believer that no character is completely what they seem to be, so I guess this could be considered a flaw in the show.

But it makes it up with its freshness, its perkiness, and its ability to lead us through a swing of emotions with its heartfelt song lyrics and frisky rhythms. If you like pop ish show tunes that incorporate many different and non-traditional sounds into one, you'll probably like it... I must admit that at first I found it "too happy" a sound for me but now I absolutely adore it.

Here I leave you with the Waitress Cast performance at the 2016 Tony Awards

Okay, this is not a happy song haha I love Jessie Mueller's voiceeeee <3 she is one of my Broadway vocal idols right now.

And this is Sara Bareilles rendition of the song

She actually got to sing it as Jenna, when she played the part in 2017 and then again earlier this year.

Well, I think that's all for today!

What do you think? What is/was your opinion on Musical Theatre? What’s your favourite play? Would you buy a ticket to see Waitress if you could? Share it with me on a comment below!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this musical! And maybe now you’d like to go to this youtube link and check out the Soundtrack...? ;)

I you want, you can also check my cover of "What Baking Can Do"... HERE I'd really appreciate it ♥

And remember...

See you next time!

Alicia xx