Order up! Welcome back to another week of From Silver Screen to Spotlight: the only blog that reviews, critiques, and rates movie musicals! I hope you’ve had your dinner for the night because it’s time for dessert, and I hear that Jenna Hunterson is baking a homemade pie! In honor of pumpkin pie season, I thought it was only appropriate to review Waitress—a musical all about pies (they even sold mini pies for guests to eat while watching the show)! So, grab your apron, your deep-dish blueberry bacon pie, and mosey on down to Joe’s Pie Dinner!

A Piece of Cake…..or Should I Say Pie

Okay, I know what you are thinking: what is Waitress even about? I’ll admit, I knew very little about Waitress myself before I saw the musical in 2019. And you can imagine my surprise when I found out that it was a movie first! Since seeing the musical, it has instantly become one of my favorite musicals of all time. But don’t just take my word for it! Throughout its tenure on Broadway, Waitress has amassed great popularity and recognition for its score, book, and incredible actors and actresses. The popularity of the musical greatly outshines the popularity of the movie, so it is no surprise that fans often forgot about the former. However, it is still important to recognize the movie because without it, the musical adaption would cease to exist.

Waitress Movie

          Waitress tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a gifted pie-maker trapped in an abusive and controlling marriage with her husband, Earl. As the title suggests, Jenna works as a waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner, where she specializes in creating inventive pies daily. Then one day, Jenna discovers that she is pregnant, leaving her conflicted and even more trapped in her abusive relationship. Despite this, Jenna decides to keep the baby. Her world flips upside down, however, upon meeting Dr. Jim Pomatter— Jenna’s obstetrician who just moved to town. The two are then enthralled in a passionate love affair faster than you can say the word pie. Eventually, Jenna gives birth to a healthy and beautiful little girl named Lulu. Upon seeing Lulu, Jenna is instantly overwhelmed with love and affection that she immediately divorces Earl and promptly ends her affair with Dr. Pomatter. By the movie’s conclusion, Jenna inherits Joe’s Pie Diner, renames it “Lulu’s Pies,” and lives a healthy, successful life away from Earl’s abusive grips.

As previously mentioned, the movie is greatly overshadowed by the musical. For starters, Waitress (2007) does not have a very recognizable cast. Sure, Keri Russell (Jenna Hunterson) and Nathan Fillion (Dr. Pomatter) may have appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Guardians of the Galaxy respectively, but these actors lack the name recognizability of actors like Lindsay Lohan and Winona Ryder (you can read about Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Mean Girls in my previous blogs). Consequently, these actors are often overlooked. However, despite their lack of recognizability, I thought the cast did a fine job! Because Waitress draws upon a variety of triggering and emotional themes like abuse, affairs, unplanned pregnancies, and divorce, a specific niche of actors is required to portray these themes respectfully and realistically. I thought that Russell did a particularly excellent job at conveying Jenna’s brokenness and guilt through her body language, demeanors, and facial expressions. I also admired the chemistry between Russell, Cheryl Hines (Becky), and Adrienne Shelly (Dawn)—Jenna’s two, and only, best friends in the movie. Although the plot deals with messy and undesirable themes like abuse and affairs, love remains the core of the story, specifically the lobe between Becky, Dawn, and Jenna. This relationship drives the plot, so casting three actresses who have strong chemistry with one another is imperative for the movie’s success. However, my biggest qualm with the movie is the cinematography. Granted, the movie was released in 2007, but majority of the scenes just felt unnaturally dark and muted. Overall, I think the movie is decent! It is a shame that it is often forgotten about because it is a darling movie with plenty of twists and turns.

For the full cast and crew of the movie, check out: Waitress (2007) – Full Cast & Crew – IMDb

Check out the trailer here: Waitress (2007) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers – Bing video

 

Waitress the Musical

            Indeed, it is a shame that the movie is often overshadowed by the musical. However, there is a reason why the musical gets more recognition than the movie, and it’s not just because of the mini pies!

Waitress opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 24, 2016. It ran for a total of 1,537 performances before closing on January 5, 2020, and in its ending week, it grossed a total of $1,626,478 alone! Due to popular demand, the show reopened for a brief, one month stint at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre the following year.

I had the honor of seeing this musical not once, but twice during its original run. Admittedly, I never had an interest or desire to see Waitress. I simply didn’t know the show that well and by the title alone, didn’t sound interested. But when my favorite Broadway actor, Jeremy Jordan, got casted as Dr. Pomatter, I knew I had to see it. Now, I did not watch the movie before I saw this musical, so I had no idea what to expect, but I am happy to report that the musical exceeded expectations (and not just because I saw my favorite actor). Not only was the show very well-choreographed and blocked (after all, they are supposed to be waitresses in a diner), but the script was surprisingly funny; my friends and I were practically rolling on the floor laughing! However, my favorite part of the entire show was the end. As someone who normally does not cry at musicals, I will admit that this one caused some tears to form. I adored how heartwarming and beautiful it was to see the instant love Jenna had for Lulu.

Yet the true highlight of the show was the cast! When I saw the show with Jeremy Jordan, Broadway legend Shoshanna Bean was playing Jenna and, unsurprisingly, she nailed this performance. Her rendition of “She Used to Be Mine” was so raw and human that it brought tears to my eyes. Jeremy Jordan, as expected, was incredible! He was nerdy, funny, and brilliantly convinced the audience to sympathize with Dr. Pomatter, despite him be disloyal to his marriage. Even Eddie Jemison (who originated Ogie in the movie) did a great job reprising his role! Overall, this cast was incredible and deserves all of the recognition.

I saw Waitress for a second time in August of 2019 when Colleen Ballinger took over for the role of Dawn. Again, I thought the cast was great, especially Colleen who I had never seen perform live before. Despite seeing the show once before, I still found new things to love about Waitress on the second time around.

The Script and Score

            While I did not know much about the plot of the musical prior to seeing it, I was familiar with the score. When I initially listened to the soundtrack, I wasn’t impressed. For one, I didn’t like the Southern accents, and I didn’t think it was anything special. This changed immediately though after I saw the show. For starters, the score is a refreshing change from other Broadway musicals. When writing the music, composer Sara Bareilles articulated the soulfulness of her songs through the calming beat and emotionally charged lyrics. I also loved that the band played on stage throughout the entire musical rather than in the pit. This makes the soundtrack feel homier and relaxing rather than abrasive and jarring. Some of my favorite songs in the show include “It Only Takes a Taste,” “What Baking Can Do,” “She Used to Be Mine,” “When He Sees Me,” and “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” (which you may recognize on Tik Tok).

Here is a link to the Waitress soundtrack: What’s Inside – YouTube

As for the script, it was identical to the movie. If anything, it was the score that enhanced the plot and quality of the musical, not the script.

Set Design

            The set design was perfect for this show! Since majority of the musical is set in a diner, its imperative that the audience feels like they are in a diner! As a matter of fact, the set was so realistic that I often forgot I was watching a musical. Even the floor was checkered to simulate the floor of a diner! The set designers left no stone unturned, and no pie unbaked for that matter!

Which Pie Reigns Supreme?

            Without a doubt, the musical is far superior to the movie. In just numbers alone, I have encountered more people who have either heard of or seen of the musical Waitress than have seen or heard of the movie. Moreover, the music coupled with the strategic choreographer of pouring cups of coffee (yes, real coffee) while singing and dancing made the show very entertaining to watch! The movie is still decent, don’t get me wrong. But if you want a true sweet treat, then the musical is the fit for you!

Check out the trailer for Waitress: The Musical here: Broadway Launch 2017 – WAITRESS – YouTube