Waitress Previews — Page 3

I am so envious of everyone getting to see this now that it's opening on Broadway. I was in absolute bliss when I saw the production at A.R.T. It's such a beautiful and empowering show. Not to mention it's been SO long since I've seen something with an original score where I left humming some of the melodies. I want to try and get out there in June so I can see it again now that it's a little re-worked. I really do think Sara deserves the Tony for this. She did an amazing job with the score!!

Did anyone notice the merchandise they were selling? Please tell me they had a poster! Please!

Pictures of the merch are already online.

http://broadwaymerchandiseshop.com/stores/waitress/souvenirs/waitress-windowcard

I'd imagine everything marked as "sold out" will be in stock soon enough. They're probably still working on manufacturing it all.

Managed to get standing room tonight at around 5:15 for $32.

The show is in incredible shape. Jessie us giving an astounding performance and everyone else in the cast is really giving it their all. Chris Fitzgerald almost stole the whole show and I wouldn't be shocked if he became one of the front runners for the featured actor Tony. Keala Settle and Kimiko Glenn both deliver very strong performances and sell the crap out of their songs.

I saw the show in Cambridge and enjoyed it but wasn't blind to the work they needed to do. And they did a LOT of work. As someone else said they basically restructured all of act two and added a lot more of the pie-making interludes which really helped set the tone of the show. I still have a lot of issues with the husband character, he's clearly a terrible person and his song does very little to develop his character in any useful way.

Overall the show is in good shape and I'll be interested to see how the show is received after the first preview (Jessie received a partial standing ovation in the orchestra after "She Used to Be Mine," everyone got entrance applause, etc.). And I really can't wait to see what sort of changes they make during the preview period.

The rotating columns of pie's on the sides of the proscenium is GENIUS. Who did the set design for this show?

Figures. TBOM's proscenium is also amazing

Last season Pask had The Visit, Airline Highway, Something Rotten!, An Act of God and Neverland. Right now he has Waitress, Blackbird and The Father. He's one hard workin' guy.

Lulu's Pie Song has been cut? Also is "She Used to Be Mine" a kind of reprise to "You Will Still Be Mine"?

Updated On: 3/26/16 at 01:38 AM

SPOILER ALERT

I was at the first preview as well. Indeed, the show is already in a pretty good shape for a first preview, but it definitely needs A LOT OF WORK bookwise. The character of Earl seems basically non-existent to me in the first act. The way they present it makes him look like a typical cranky Southern jerk, but because Earl never physically hurts Jenna (though he indeed threatens her) and there are indeed some sweet moments that tell you that it's really his insecurity that leads to his bad temper, he is not bad enough to justify Jenna's hooking up with the married doctor while she is married herself. There are even times when I feel sorry for him and the doctor's wife who makes the cameo when Jenna is in labor. Of course, some may argue smashing a guitar and threatening is sort of domestic violence (just to imagine 8 guitars will be destroyed every week... Or perhaps it's a specially designed prop that lasts longer?), but personally I would desire more dynamics between Jenna and Earl for the audience to truly understand her motive and to approve her affair.

I haven't watched the film yet, but as far as the musical goes, it's basically a story about cheating (there is definitely something else, but this is what is stuck with me). Jenna cheats her husband, though for a somewhat passable reason. The doctor cheats his wife because...she is doing residency? And they think this can possibly justify him flirting with and banging his patient? Cal, the cook, cheats his wife, though he suspects she is a lesbian... Becky, another waitress in the diner, cheats her husband with Cal, and yet she says she still loves him? So almost half the major characters are having affairs for not much sympathizable reasons. Kudos! However, there is indeed a redeeming factor.

Hey, at least it passes the bechdel test!

Musicwise, the score is strong and sara's songs are really enchanting. But don't set your expectation too high because the audience will be largely comprised of Sara's fans, many of whom are rare or even first-time theatergoers. They literally howl whenever someone belts a high note. Imagine the whole house CHEERS in the middle of She Used to Be Mine... Ugh... That's what happened tonight and it immediately got me out of the scene. Of course it's not the fault of the creatives, but still...

Updated On: 3/26/16 at 02:01 AM

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "A snippet of Lulu's Pie Song shows up before You Matter to Me (I don't think it was there at ART) but yes the placement at the end of the show is no longer. Lulu is in the final scene but doesn't speak or sing.

I don't understand the part of your question about She Used to Be Mine?"



Thanks for the answer about Lulu! I didn't see the show at ART but may see it on Broadway, I was looking at the songlist and the similarity of the titles "She Used to Be Mine" and "You Will Still Be Mine" made me wonder if they were related melodically (or lyrically beyond the titles).

dancing -- if all you got out of the show was "cheating" you missed a lot. Not seeing this version (saw it at the ART) I can't speak to whether it's the fault if the current production or not, because many of your complaints are/were explained in Boston and the film.