In Rehearsals with the cast of Waitress the Musical, UK and Ireland Tour
Evelyn Hoskins, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Sandra Marvin in rehearsals for Waitress the Musical. Photo by Danny Kaan.
Written by Ziwen for Theatre and Tonic
To mark its 10th anniversary, the musical Waitress has returned to the UK, preparing to embark on a tour across more than 20 cities. Adapted from the 2007 film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, the show features Music and Lyrics by Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, Book by Jessie Nelson, and Direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus. Notably, it also made history as the first Broadway musical to feature an entirely female core creative team (director, writer, composer, and choreographer).
The story follows Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher), a waitress at a small-town diner who is also a near-genius pie baker. However, she is trapped in an oppressive, loveless marriage, and to make matters worse, she discovers she is unexpectedly pregnant shortly after the story begins. Fortunately, she has the unwavering support of her fellow waitresses, Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins). Along the way, she slowly forms a guilt-ridden yet blissful romantic bond with the town's new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Dan Partridge). And when Jenna learns of an upcoming local baking contest with a lucrative cash prize, she finally sees a glimmer of hope to escape her husband.
Before Waitress officially sets off on this new journey, I had the great privilege of being invited to an exclusive preview of four songs from the show: Opening Up, It Only Takes a Taste, A Soft Place to Land, and I Love You Like a Table. Even though it wasn't yet 10:30 in the morning, the cast brought incredible energy to the room. Afterwards, I sat down with four of the principal actors for a brief but delightful conversation.
I was very curious about their initial impressions when they first encountered this production, which naturally led to my very first question.
Evelyn: “I saw the show, I saw the original Broadway cast in 2016 and just fell in love with it. Knew nothing about it, hadn't listened to the soundtrack, and saw it and was just like, "This is perfection in a musical. Yeah.”
Sandra: “I saw it before I started in 2019. And I went on through a whole wave of different emotions watching it. I thought it was crazy, I thought it was raw in so many ways, but also really beautiful. And it also surprised me how the soundtrack makes the characters really comes to live. Yeah, it's a beautiful show. I love it.”
Crrie: “I remember listening to the soundtrack for the first time when the show first opened in 2016. And I just remember listening to it and just being so blown away by how real and how truthful it is. And I think Sara Bareilles has just such an amazing way with words and combining them with melodies that just make you feel everything. So yeah, I remember listening to it and just thinking, ‘oh my God, what a gift it would be to sing this score one day on the stage’.”
Dan: “When you listen to the songs, it feels like she's used all the right notes, you know what I mean? And if you play - I play a little bit of piano - when I play through the chords, I'm like, ‘ah, these are such lush chords’. And it feels really in line with the content that she's playing and singing about. It's a really gorgeously written show. That was my first kind of thought when I watched it in London. That was the first time I saw it. I went to see some friends in it and I was just really bolded over by the quality of the writing. And finding that in rehearsals now, when we're doing the scenes, it's just really funny and very real. The scenes are like conversations people really have. It's a really special show. I think from the first time I was aware of it, I always was aware of the level of quality of the show. It's gorgeous.”
Since every actor has their own unique way of stepping into a role, I asked the cast members if there were any small details or specific rituals that helped them get into their character's state of mind.
Dan: “I find the way that I can really get into it is I'm holding a clipboard and I've got the lab coat on, and the way that the script rolls in the first scene is quite eggy and awkward, and I really feel like I'm kind of getting into that stride quickly, because the air in the scene is really useful, the little awkward pauses and stuff. It kind of gets this kind of tension and chemistry with Carrie as Jenna. It's a really fun dynamic and obviously still being in rehearsals now, it's been so fun that every time that we've done it, the next time it's just, it's building more and more and more, and it's a really beautiful thing when you can start building that chemistry. So for me, having that lab coat on, it makes you act like a certain different way. If you've got a character that wears a bow tie, you know, you act a little bit differently.”
Carrie: “Yeah. It's the same with the apron as well. As soon as you put the aprons on, you've got the note pad in your hand. You become a waitress.”
Evelyn: “I'm really lucky because Dawn has a pair of iconic glasses with the little string and a little pony, so that really helps to physically transform. And then, the accents really help as well. They're so fun to play with. But I'm not one of those deep actors that's, like, ‘I must transform’, you know? I think Dawn is essentially an extension of me. So I just kind of play the truth of the situation, really.”
Sandra: “I have to ground myself and slow myself down, I like a bit of quiet time beforehand. 'Cause Becky is older, she takes her time, she knows this job inside out. So she's definite in her actions, but she's not as perky as I can be. So it's given her that weight and that gravitas.”
Carrie also shared a fascinating and meaningful exercise they went through during rehearsals to help them connect more deeply with their characters.
Carrie: “I feel like one of the great things I about the show is that so much of it is set in the diner, and the thing about the diner is that it always has repeat customers and all the people that have worked there have worked there for years and years and years. And it kind of feels like the same energy that a cast has, where everyone knows each other, everyone’s in each other's pockets. And we did this exercise last week, when we all had to give a presentation on our characters. And everyone in the show, whether you're an off stage swing who doesn't necessarily have a named character in the show, you were given the free range to create your own character that might end up in the diner, and it just gave us all such an insight into how all of our characters relate to each other and how we can then bring that sort of depth and layering into the show. And I think it's made such a difference. We were all dreading it because it's such a terrifying task to do. But afterwards, we were all in tears, and we were all laughing throughout the day, and I think stuff like that is what makes a show so nuanced and so layered and so rich.”
Music brings an undeniable magic to this production, so I asked each of them to share their personal favorite song from the show.
Evelyn: “My favourite song in the show is - I've been saying it kind of changes depending where I'm at and what I'm feeling, but currently I'm really enjoying I Didn't Plan It. It's just stunning, and Sandra's incredible.”
Sandra: “I've always loved What Baking Can Do and also Opening up, I think it's a really great opening number for a show, and even though it really showcases a typical day in the diner, it's still so hopeful and so joyous. I love that song.”
Carrie: “Oh, A Soft Place to Land is my all time favourite song. I think it's because it's a close three-part harmony with the three waitresses who have such a strong dynamic with each other, and they all have such strong characters as well. You've got Dawn who's sort of neurotic and likes everything to be organised. You've got Becky, who is the older of the three and more like a maternal figure and is so rooted in who she is. And then you've got Jenna, who's just sort of struggling day to day. The three of them exist in this little bubble, and that moment is where they all just talk about their dreams and what they want and whether it's realistic or not, and having that dream is just something to hold onto to when everything gets overwhelming. When we first did it, we were all in flux, we were all in bits, because it's such a human song and such a human emotion to have that thing that you've always wanted, that's always just been slightly out of reach, but it's always the thing that you turn to when you're having a bad day. I just think that moment in the show is so relatable and it's so beautiful, and it's so understated as well. I think so many musicals and even Waitress has the big show stopping numbers where everyone's on stage and everyone's involved, but moments like that are so show stopping because they are so breathtaking and so awe inspiring in a way. I look forward to that moment on stage every night.”
Dan: “I absolutely agree. A Soft Place to Land is also my favourite number. It's so lush in the way that it's written in terms of the melodies and the close harmony. I don't know why I feel like I always geek out on that song. It's just all the right notes and the right harmonies. And as you say, it's got this imperfect perfection about it. It feels like it is just written in a way that’s just not complicated and really gorgeous. And it makes me well up every single time. I also really like You Matter to Me. Again, I think it's that simplicity that stops the show as well. And I think the way they've written the show, it encapsulates tenderness. And especially with A Soft Place to Land, it's the tenderness between female relationships and true friendship. The way that they talk to each other in that scene really candidly is like, ‘oh, you made me almost pretty’, ‘no, you're actually really beautiful’. It's just a really gorgeous and tender. It really is a beautifully written number. That's our love letter to Soft Place to Land.
Given that both Evelyn and Sandra have previously starred in Waitress, I was curious whether they ever experienced moments where rehearsing for this show and performing it again felt a bit repetitive.
Evelyn: “I guess that's with any show. If you do it enough times, it becomes repetitive, but with this, I never get bored of doing this show. It's just such a joy. It's such fun to play these roles and play opposite incredible people, and we've got a majority of new company, so that keeps it fresh. We've also been working with the US creative team, Abbey O'Brien, who's like the queen of Waitress worldwide, she's kind of been leading this remount essentially. She's really given us such broad diameters to play with, which has been so fun. So it's the same, but different. And the music is just so good, and yeah, I don't really get bored.”
Sandra: “Revisiting the show with the new cast, they've all brought different elements in and that had kept us on our tones. And one of the best things as well, the difference of being in town, when you're going from region to region, the audiences receive it differently, they receive themes or jokes differently. And feeling their response, it's such a two-way thing. That's quite exciting. So that keeps it fresh as well, hearing what they respond to at each venue.”
Therefore, I asked if they had a venue they were especially looking forward to.
Evelyn: “My home venue is Bristol, and the audiences there are incredible, and my family will come, so that will be really special for me.”
Sandra: “I find it difficult to say. I think if I was going to generalize, I love the northern venues, because they know how to have a good time. And it's so funny hearing some of the responses. When you hear that one person just absolutely cackling at a joke or something, it's so joyous.”
Reprising the same role after a few years, Sandra noted that she has developed a much deeper understanding of Becky.
Sandra: “Just having a break and coming back, and having different life experiences in between that time. Sometimes you look at the text and you're like, ‘oh, I didn't realise that’. It's like a small detail that means more now or it changes how you feel about your character or another character. For example, I’m having a clearer idea of what her life is probably like at home, and how it influences how she behaves at the diner. That's been a bit clearer this time for me.”
Meanwhile, for Carrie, now being a mother herself has profoundly shifted the way she views the entire production.
Carrie: “It's funny because I auditioned for the show in 2018, I would have done my best, but it just wouldn't have been the performance that I feel like I can bring to it now. So I feel like the stars are kind of aligned for me to play this part now. It makes the show it so much harder to get through because you're relating your own points of reference and your own experience to it. When I'm holding that baby at the end, all I can think of is my experience of holding my own daughter for the first time and what that was like, so it makes it near impossible to get through. But it is really really special. And I think this is gonna be a show that I'm gonna remember for the rest of my life because of the moment in my own journey and lifetime where I get to play this part, it's incredible. It's emotional and near impossible to get through, but very, very special.”
Pie is an essential element in the musical Waitress. So, for the first of my final two questions, I asked the cast to create a pie to describe themselves.
Dan: “I'd say I'm kind of fun. I'd say I'm quite silly, silly strawberry pies... Fun Frangipane.”
Carrie: “Well, that came out of nowhere. I love a Frangipane. I think I'd go for a classic apple, something that's like, strong, reliable, and stable. Just a strong apple pie with maybe a little bit of dark chocolate in there.”
Evelyn: “Sweet. My pie would be sweet, I think. But maybe light and fluffy, like marshmallows.”
Sandra: “Mine would be a smooth chocolate. Something smooth and chocolaty with the raspberries and a sprinkling of chillies. Red chillies, adding a little bit of fire.”
Finally, I asked them: if they could bake a pie to give as a gift to their respective characters, what kind of pie would they make?
Sandra: “The same pie.”
Evelyn: “I think it would be something turtle themed, like those little turtle chocolates that you can get. I feel like Jenna would have made Dawn turtle themed pie.”
Carrie: “Oh, I think I'd create something really out there for Jenna, just to give her something fun. You know, she doesn't have a lot of fun in her own real life and everything sort of feels a little bit dark at times. So I think I would make her something that looks really fun and really out there, sort of like the Mermaid Marshmallow.”
Dan: “I’d do something that’s really sweet 'cause the character doesn't eat sugar. I don't know. Sugar pie, just sugar pie. Like, sugar, caramel. Sugar and butter.”
Carrie: “Maybe a bit of flour.”
Dan: “There's a song in that.”
And that wraps up our interview. Even in the midst of rehearsals, their performances already radiate joy and a deeply touching, almost romantic energy. As this production travels from city to city, carrying with it the sweet aroma of freshly baked pies, it is sure to bring audiences everywhere a tremendous amount of warmth and inspiration.
Waitress the Musical embarks on a UK tour from March 2026. Find a venue close to you here.
