Waitress by Jessie Nelson with music & lyrics by Sara Bareilles
A Crossroads Live production directed by Diane Paulus
At Curve: 24 – 29 January 2022
“laugh out loud moments blended with heartbreaking emotions”
I first saw this show in London in 2019 and loved the skilful way that laugh out loud moments were blended with heartbreaking emotions. This touring production has lost none of the rollercoaster passions of the original.
Jenna (Aimee Fisher) is a waitress in a roadside diner somewhere in America’s deep south. She endures a life with her abusive husband, Earl (Tamlyn Henderson) but comes into her own when baking the most extraordinary pies for the diner. Compared to her awful home life her work is bolstered by her two best friends, Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins), Finding she is pregnant, unwittingly, by her husband Jenna embarks on an affair with her timid gynaecologist, Dr Pomatter (Matt Willis).
Aimee Fisher, normally understudying Chelsea Halfpenny, more than seizes the role of Jenna, giving her all in fine voice.
Matt Willis as the Doctor shows a great sense of comic timing. Being a member of pop group Busted it’s a given that he has a good singing voice.
Newcomer George Crawford as Ogie, Dawn’s stalker/boyfriend/husband (eventually) has the stand out comedy song and displays a fine acrobatic capability.
Evelyn Hoskins’ Dawn is comedically innocent and perfectly paired with Crawford.
Sandra Marvin’s Becky has some of the best funny lines in the show and makes good use of her great attitude.
All in all this is a great production of a great show. Perhaps not entirely suitable for a young audience featuring as it does domestic violence and adult language. But an almost full auditorium gave it a well deserved standing ovation at the curtain.
Waitress is at Curve until Saturday 29 January and then continues touring.
Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
http://ptheatre.blogspot.co.uk/
Very insightful review thanks
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