Waitress the Musical (Review)

It’s been a while since I’ve been to London to see a musical and I have definitely missed it. The last one I went to see was Mamma Mia the Musical back in August 2017. Before I left London, I made the most of last minute tickets by going to see pretty much all the ones I wanted to. It’s easy to buy last minute tickets when you live in the city, but if you have to travel in, last minute can get expensive. If you are in London TodayTix is a great app you can use for cheap last minute tickets with good seating options. It also offers something called “Rush Tickets” where you can be placed in a daily lottery for £25 front few row seats in the Stalls…yes!

Waitress is a musical based off a film I fell in love with when I was a child. It tells the story of a young wife who becomes pregnant to a somewhat abusive husband. She finds comfort in making pies and coming up with creative recipes to describe moments in her life, for example, “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie” or “Marshmellow Mermaid Pie”. As much as I hate affairs, I root for Jenna and her ObGyn doctor when they begin their passionate relationship. The film follows this through until the birth of the baby and then jumps forward into the future.

I somewhat rushed the trip to London a little bit because the second it was announced that Lucie Jones (from X-Factor fame) and Ashley Roberts (ex-Pussycat Doll) were going to be taking over the roles of Jenna and Dawn for the summer, I knew I had to go. I had wanted to see the show since it was announced it was coming to London, but hearing they were in it, I had to make the trip at some point before August 12th when Ashley left. It was definitely the right choice! I have fallen utterly and completely in love with the show for sure.

Sara Barrelies is a singer-songwriter I fell in love with during my childhood and once I did some research and I heard she had written the soundtrack for the musical, I knew it was going to be special. I think Sara writes beautiful songs and each song captures the moment perfectly. They set the mood and create a pre-tense for the following scene which I really do love. At times I did think the songs went on a little too long but they were all performed superbly and I can't fault any of the voices. Also, there was a stage where I felt they had too many songs back-to-back and I feel that despite it being a musical, this lost some of the great scenes from the film.

The acting was something else. Without a doubt, the actor who played Earl blew me away. He was utterly incredible. I absolutely adored how Lucie portrayed Jenna and while the difficult husband-and-wife scenes must be challenging to do 7 times a week, they were sublime and I really felt the emotional turmoil they went through. Likewise, while a more fun character Dawn's and her husband took eccentric to a whole other level. It was Ashley's acting that was surprising. I knew she could sing and dance, but her acting was phenomenal! It's a shame she only had 2 days left when I saw it, so she's gone back to America.

Speaking of America, I can't decide if I was right to be shocked that the cast (UK cast included) all put on American accents. I know that it's set in America, but still, I really wasn't expecting it.

I love the film and if you do too, you'll be pleased to know the birth scene is pretty much a replica for the film. The whole emotion and script was captured perfectly. My favourite thing about this musical in particular was how included to band and scene changes were throughout the film. The band was on stage almost the whole time and I thought it was a really lovely addition to the production as they made it feel more intimate.

It was really special when Lulu came out in the flash forward scene. The little girl who played her was gorgeous and was so full of energy and life. It was really cute to watch and Lucie Jones and her clearly have a special bond (as captured by this gorgeous behind the scenes snap). As I mentioned early, I did find some of my favourite scenes were missing and one of them was the one song in the film "Baby don't you cry, gonna bake a pie". I sang that song to my niece when she was a baby and it's one of my favourite scenes. Despite the musical missing this, I'm glad they included Lulu. 

Despite not having my favourite movie scene in and being disappointed in that aspect, I absolutely loved the whole show. I was blown away by the acting and the soundtrack was simply beautiful. Must see for all Waitress fans!