Now on stage at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street
“Kaylee Harwood radiates and glows as Jenna. Her vocal work reverberates off the Capitol Theatre roof and soars to the back row of the house. Harwood understands Jenna’s plight inherently and duly performs with compassion, respect and dignity.”
Often, a creative team may want its audience to suspend disbelief to enjoy the theatrical experience.
Such is the case with Port Hope Capitol Theatre’s production of ‘Waitress’ now on the Main Stage.
I didn’t suspend disbelief several months ago when I first saw the show performed elsewhere. It was okay, but I couldn’t figure out why the show appealed to musical theatre lovers.
This time, when I suspended my disbelief, I now understood why the show appeals.
‘Waitress’ is a story of indomitable womanhood and their strength and influence.
Set in Joe’s Diner, ‘Waitress’ tells the story of Jenna (Kaylee Harwood), a waitress and pie expert. She and her two waitress friends, Becky (Malinda Carroll) and Dawn (Lia Luz), advise, console, and assist each other whenever needed, most notably in Jenna’s rocky marriage to her husband, Earl (Michael Cox), who struggles to hold a job. Jenna continually gives her tips to Earl because she wants to keep his temper at bay. She’s not happy about it, but she feels compelled to do so for her safety at home.
Curmudgeonly diner owner Joe (Oliver Dennis) appears in Joe’s periodically to check on the business. The diner cook, Cal (Beau Dixon), is just as crusty as Joe. Cal has no trouble hassling the girls if they’re late for work or if they take too long on their breaks. Is it possible Cal is an on-the-job bully? If so, Becky has no trouble standing up to him and will go eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe if necessary.
Jenna hopes to win a pie competition and leave Earl. Complications further arise when she meets her new doctor, Dr. Pomatter (Sayer Roberts).
There are many times throughout the musical when suspending disbelief helps to move the story and plot along.
And that’s okay to do that in this case.
Once again, Capitol Artistic Director (and show director) Rob Kempson selects top-notch individuals for his visual team. As always, Brandon Kleiman’s set design (with Jareth Li’s expert touch in neon and natural lighting) remains admirable once again. Here, Kleiman envisions a classic American diner setting complete with countertops, round stools and tables. Kleiman amply fills the Capitol’s Main stage with various set pieces that roll on and off quite easily. Various restaurant dishes and bric-a-brac adorn the walls, creating a unique setting for the diner. Jenna’s homemade pies are on display.
Joshua Quinlan’s colourful costume designs highlight the various characters. The three restaurant waitress uniforms look like the real thing. They fittingly accentuate the figures of the three ladies. Cal’s uniform apron contains food stains, signifying he is busy in the kitchen. Earl’s dark, earth-tone colours in his choice of pants, shirt, sweater and shoes reveal he’s very much of the earth and someone who doesn’t like change at all. A minor quibble regarding the sound balance issues with the orchestra and singers, which I’m sure designer Emily C. Porter has already addressed.
Choreographer Patricia Allison selects some stylized movements to highlight dramatic intensity. My eyes focused right on the dancers, and I was intrigued by what was occurring. For example, when Jenna tests to see if she is ‘enceinte,’ female ensemble dancers move in uncomfortable motions to signify Jenna’s discomfort in wondering what if the unthinkable with Earl did happen because she didn’t trust herself in the passionate heat of the moment.
Under the attentive direction of Music Director Jonathan Corkal-Astorga and Rob Kempson, who meticulously attend to the minute details in the song lyrics and performances, Jenna’s story comes alive. There is an inherent strength within her that she is a survivor. Sometimes with humour, with grit and sometimes with sass, Jenna can surpass whatever life may unexpectedly throw at her.
Kaylee Harwood radiates and glows as the protagonist. Her Jenna struggles to understand the predicament in which she finds herself at first. Harwood is a knockout in her vocal work, which resounds off the Capitol Theatre roof and soars to the back row of the house with fluid ease. In her performance, Harwood embodies Jenna with a sense of compassion, respect and dignity not only for herself but ensures she receives it from everyone.
Sayer Roberts is initially charming as Jenna’s new doctor, Dr. Pomatter. When the two of them meet in the office for the first time at a prearranged appointment, a seductive cat-and-mouse game between them, marked by longing glances, lascivious looks, and whetted appetites, heightens dramatic suspense. Roberts’ gluttonous eating of the pie (that Jenna brings to whom she thinks is the other doctor) is hilarious. When complications begin to arise in Pomatter’s life, and he looks to Jenna (however misguided it may be) to fill a void, Roberts delivers a solid performance in his troubled life with his wife, Francine (Margaret Thompson).
As Jenna’s husband, Earl, Michael Cox brings a threatening and feared presence in the way he grabs Jenna during the second act.
Malinda Carroll and Lia Luz offer an interesting juxtaposition of Jenna in their respective roles. Carroll’s Becky is cheeky in how she handles potential on-the-job bullies. Her handling of Beau Dixon’s Cal is spot on, bringing laughter from the audience as the story unfolds. Luz’s Dawn is sweet, not sugary, as the good girl who does what she thinks she is supposed to do. However, when she meets doofus Ogie (a rip-roaringly hilarious work by Caulin Moore), at first, one might think that the relationship would fizzle immediately.
Not so.
Luz’s Dawn and Moore’s Ogie develop a mutual friendship. They have both made it their plan to continue growing that respect (even though there are strong hints that Dawn and Ogie are doing ‘it’ with abandon and glee). In a couple of cameo appearances, Taylor Lovelace’s Nurse Norma is full of hilarious SASS when she gets what’s happening between Pomatter and Jenna. Her brief bit when Jenna’s feet were in the examination room stirrups made me roar with laughter (as did others around me).
What lies behind the honest Joe and Cal is poignant. Oliver Dennis touches the heartstrings as he speaks to Jenna for the final time at the end of the play. Beau Dixon lovingly becomes a curmudgeon like Joe at the end of the musical. That choice put a smile on my face because it makes sense why Cal would do that. Dixon’s playful smile at the end with the ladies works beautifully and reinforces why he becomes a cuddly curmudgeon.
Although I might not agree with or condone the behaviour of some of the adults in ‘Waitress,’ the musical is one where the audience must learn to suspend disbelief.
Why?
‘Waitress’ is the story of a woman’s empowerment, particularly Jenna’s. Yes, she acknowledges what part she plays in what occurred in her life and how it veered out of control. However, Jenna learns from her misjudgment. Her voice will continue confidently to be heard, especially when she (and other women) assume further responsibilities in their lives.
‘Waitress’ is a good choice for the Capitol’s slate this year. It’s a terrific segue to the next on the bill – ‘Steel Magnolias.’
Running time: approximately two hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.
The production runs until June 29 at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street. For tickets, capitoltheatre.com or call (905) 885-1071.
CAPITOL THEATRE presents
‘Waitress’
Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based on the Motion Picture by Adrienne Shelley
Directed by Rob Kempson
Music Direction: Jonathan Corkal-Astorga
Choreographer/Assistant Director: Patricia Allison
Set Designer: Brandon Kleiman
Lighting Designer: Jareth Li
Sound Designer: Emily C. Porter
Costume Designer and Associate Set Designer: Joshua Quinlan
Stage Manager: Tamara Protic
Performers: Kaylee Harwood, Malinda Carroll, Lia Luz, Sayer Roberts, Michael Cox, Beau Dixon, Caulin Moore, Oliver Dennis, Taylor Lovelace, Margaret Thompson, Clea McCaffrey, Naomi Kerr, Aubrey Wootton, Juniper Davis, Raegan Noble, Amelia Leung, Lily Perry, Elaine Kuras
