Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:22am
I was at last night's preview and I really enjoyed myself. There may have been a few faults here and there, but I honestly couldn't tell you what they were because I was so blinded by that megawatt bulb of brilliance known as Jessie Mueller. I've always liked Mueller, but I think Waitress is the first time where she truly gets to show off just how deeply talented she is. She was already wonderful at ART, but now she's operating on a whole new level and I can't get enough. A friend I went with me texted me last night to say we need to go back to the box today and purchase our next set of tickets; the only correction I need to make is next sets and not set. Yes, Mueller is worth every penny.
I like a lot of the changes made from the Boston run. I was happy and relieved to see those awful little waiting room songs had been cut. It really helped keep the focus on the main characters rather than waste time with unimportant things. (Although, you can give me all you want of Nurse Norma, who simply steals every moment she is on stage. They A) need to let her bow in her nurses uniform and B) give her a separate bow. She more than earned it.)
Chris Fitzgerald is a big improvement over the actor that played Ogie at ART. Whereas I thought "Never Getting Rid of Me" came off as stalker-y and creepy out of town, I think Chris finds the right balance of persistent, nerdy and hopelessly in love. I also think Kimiko Glenn's Dawn is far less resistant to his advances, which helps matters too.
Keala Settle's boisterous performance plays much better in a larger house and she scored with all of her zingers and one-liners. Glad to see her back at the Brooks!
Someone above said they didn't think Mueller had much chemistry with Gehling, and after Boston I would have totally agreed. When they replaced three of the lead actors before the New York run I was a little surprised they didn't replace Gehling too- he was perfectly fine before, but without the spark between the two leads the show was lacking the believability of their affair. But last night I thought Gehling and Mueller were ready to tear each other's clothes off for real; It Only Takes a Taste was particularly steamy. He has settled into the role very nicely.
Poor Nick Cordero sure has one of the most unlikeable characters currently on the Broadway stage to play. He shades the role better than his out of town counterpart, but let's face it, we're never going to "understand" or like the guy. The part seems smaller here, and that's fine by me.
The score is catchy and tuneful- that OBCR can't be released quickly enough. The book is strong too and I think this is going to end up being a crowd-pleaser and turn into a hit.
Do you think we could have the first three-way tie for a Tony this year? Benanti/Mueller/Erivo?
