Now playing on the Spriet Stage at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre.
“This ‘Waitress’ makes for an entertaining afternoon or evening through several decent on-stage performances. Julia McLellan delivers the goods as the central character, Jenna. However, I don’t get the hype surrounding the musical. It’s like eating apple pie without ice cream or a slice of cheese.”
‘Waitress’ began as a 2007 indie film written by Adrienne Shepherd. According to director Rachel Peake’s Director’s Programme Note, the film was a sleeper hit because it had its own brand of magic that created quirkiness. Hmmm…let’s come back to this thought shortly.
Protagonist Jenna Hunterson (Julia McLellan) is a baker and waitress. She works at Joe’s Pie Diner Restaurant in the American South. There, we meet the cook, Cal (Scott Beaudin at this performance), and two other waitresses – Becky (Stacey Kay) and Dawn (Elysia Cruz). Jenna discovers she is pregnant by her abusive husband, Earl (Lawrence Libor).
To combat this angst in her personal life, Jenna begins an affair with her married obstetrician, Dr. Pomatter (Kamyar Pazandeh). This affair will likely create further problems, but they both throw caution to the wind and go for it. Looking for a way to escape all this trouble, Jenna (urged by Becky, Dawn, and the diner’s owner, Joe (Peter Millard)) enters a pie-baking contest. She views the grand prize as a chance to break free from her unhappiness and start anew.
I’m puzzled by this performance, but I’ll put on my teacher’s hat now, as I was trained to start with the positives.
There’s a lot to admire about this production.
Designer Scott Penner has magnificently created a gorgeous-looking southern diner. It’s extraordinary. Every inch of the Spriet stage is utilized to its maximum. Downstage, shelves of baker apparatus have been built around the proscenium stage (I’m sure a Genie must have been used in the process.) Everything appears neat and in its place.
Additional baking equipment surrounds the diner counter upstage. Everything is neatly organized on the shelves. The kitchen is located at the back, where the orchestra also performs. The entrance to the restaurant is on stage right, while the washroom is on stage left. Ensemble members effortlessly move diner tables in and out with hardly a sound.
Penner’s costume designs effectively capture each character’s unique idiosyncrasies and habits. Michelle Ramsay’s lighting and Richard Feren’s sound designs successfully evoke the atmosphere and sound that patrons would experience in a diner.
Music Director Patrick Bowman elicits melodious and tuneful solos, duets, harmonies, and full company numbers using Sara Bareilles’ music and lyrics. However, the songs lack memorability. The program doesn’t include the titles, which would have been a valuable addition. I could generally hear the song lyrics, but there were moments when the orchestra drowned out the singers. Genny Sermonia’s stylized choreographed movement remains intriguing as the ensemble moves set pieces in and out. The mixing spoons choreography made me smile while intensity and suspense are notched up as the four dancers move when Jenna’s water breaks.
There are some decent performances on stage.
Stacey Kay and Elysiz Cruz are terrific sidekicks as Jenna’s friends. Kay is a sassy Becky who puts up with no crap from anyone, including Scott Beaudin’s curmudgeonly cook Cal at this performance. Cruz plays Dawn with delightful cheekiness as she grows in her life experience, especially in her relationship with Ogie (solidly played by Tyler Pearse).
Julia McLellan excels in her role as Jenna. She possesses a powerhouse voice that stands out in several vocal numbers. McLellan shines in her performance, whether engaging in comedic banter with Kay and Cruz or sharing emotional moments with Peter Millard when Joe’s story unfolds.
My quibbles with ‘Waitress’ do not lie with Rachel Peake’s efficient and organized direction. She approaches the comic elements with candour and allows the actors to shine. The verbal sparring between Julia McLellan and Kamyar Panadeh during Julia’s obstetrician appointment is particularly amusing in the first act. Peake adeptly handles the moments involving Peter Millard’s gruff Joe (the diner owner) with poignancy when the truth of his situation becomes evident in the second act. Millard’s performance tugs at the heartstrings near the end.
The quibbles lie with Jessie Nelson’s book.
It’s trying to cover and tell too much.
Except for the singing, I have no idea what I’m supposed to take away from this story.
If I’m meant to be charmed by the quirkiness of these characters, unfortunately, I’m not. If I’m to believe this is a story about a woman who wishes to start her life anew after the mistakes she has made, it’s a challenge to accept that.
There are times when these characters are downright unlikeable people. Real life doesn’t always end in a sugary manner. Sometimes uncomfortable situations do not go away that easily.
Dr. Pomatter’s clearly unethical behavior is inadequately addressed. It appears to be dismissed in a cavalier manner that doesn’t sit right. Jenna is not an unsuspecting victim in her affair with the doctor, but rather a willing participant. It takes two to tango (I know, a tired adage). Nevertheless, Jenna, and Jim joyfully and gleefully indulge in promiscuity, as do Becky and Dawn with their partners at the top of the second act.
The one-dimensional male characters fail to address the stereotypical, male-dominated, misogynistic world. These stereotypes are taken to the extreme in Lawrence Libor’s Earl and Scott Beaudin’s Cal, making me cringe a few times. Emerging from the # MeToo movement from five years ago, ‘Waitress’ inexplicably brings us back to that time.
What to make of ‘Waitress?’
Rachel Peake states that to fully convey the whole story, the audience must experience both the joyful and dark themes present in the play, which can hopefully make the impossible possible.
I get that.
But Jessie Nelson’s book is still trying to tell too much.
That’s why I don’t get the show’s hype.
Running time: approximately two hours and 20 minutes with one interval/intermission.
‘Waitress’ runs until April 12 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond Street, London. For tickets, visit grandtheatre.com or call the Box Office at (519) 672-8800.
THE GRAND THEATRE, in a co-production with THEATRE AQUARIUS, presents
‘Waitress’
Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based upon the motion picture by Adrienne Shelley
Directed by Rachel Peake
Music Director: Patrick Bowman
Choreographer: Genny Sermonia
Set and Costume Designer: Scott Penner
Lighting Designer: Michelle Ramsay
Sound Designer: Richard Feren
Stage Manager: Al Gadowsky
Performers: Scott Beaudin, Elysia Cruz, Megan Dallan, Stacey Kay, Lawrence Libor, Julia McLellan, Peter Millard, Kamyar Pazandeh, Tyler Pearse, Julius Sermonia, Lee Siegel, Ali Watson, Synthia Yusif, Finley Campbell, Freya Rajani
