Waitress begins previews on Broadway tonight

The Broadway premiere of Waitress begins previews at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre tonight. An official opening night is set for on 24 April 2016 and the new musical is currently booking through to 5 November 2016.

The principal cast of Waitress includes Tony winner Jessie Mueller (Jenna), Eric Anderson (Cal), Tony nominee Nick Cordero (Earl), Christopher Fitzgerald (Ogie), Drew Gehling (Dr. Pomatter), Kimiko Glenn (Dawn), Dakin Matthews (Joe), and Keala Settle (Becky). Ensemble members include Charity Angel Dawson, Thay Floyd, Molly Hager, Aisha Jackson, Jeremy Morse, Ragan Pharris, Stephanie Torns and Ryan Vasquez.

Waitress features a book by Jessie Nelson and music & lyrics by five-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles and is directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus.

Synopsis: "Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, the musical follows Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop forever... until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town's handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she's been missing all along - courage."

The creative team behind Waitress features choreography by Lorin Latarro, scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Suttirat Larlarb, lighting design by Christopher Akerlind and sound design by Jonathan Deans.

Waitress is produced on Broadway by Barry & Fran Weissler and Norton & Elayne Herrick.

Last year, the production completed its out-of-town engagement at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it ran until 27 September 2015.

Click HERE to read our review of the Cambridge production.

- by Tom Millward