Waitress
Theatre Royal Brighton
until Saturday 11th April
I always find it fascinating to see a musical which has been based on a film, to take the risk as to whether a transition to stage with the addition of songs works well with the original material. I have to say in this production of Waitress the transition from stage to screen was seamless and a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre. I am a big fan of the 2007 film of the same name on which the musical is based, and the storyline and characterisation with the addition of music is very faithful to that portrayed in the film.
For those not familiar with the film or indeed the show Waitress is a freedom story if you will of Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher) who starts the show seemingly trapped in an abusive marriage. Facing an unplanned pregnancy the audience follows her journey from initial despair to her rebirth as a mother, serving as a testament to the power of motherhood and the strength that a woman can draw from that escape a situation which seems impossible. Carrie’s portrayal of Jenna particularly in the scenes with her husband Earl (Mark Willshire), captured the emotions of a woman living this life heartbreakingly perfectly. The flinches, the bracing of herself and that constant fear that a person living in such circumstances is under was evident. I also really enjoyed the scenes which showed the echoes of the relationship between Jenna’s parents and the representation of generational trauma and how her life had sadly become to mirror her mothers. It was extremely moving and will resonate with anyone who has a similar lived experience.
Amongst the suffering bought by Jenna’s marriage, there is also a great amount of joy and heart in this show. She has two colleagues who work alongside her at the Diner, the strength of this friendship and the women supporting one another is a real testament to sisterhood and the power to be gleamed when women hold one another. Light comedic relief was also provided via Joe (Les Dennis) the owner of the diner where they’re all employed, with Jenna being the only waitress willing to serve him the two build a comfortable rapport and share a touching moment later in the show.
With the band onstage and the piano doubling up as a counter for the pies being served, this added to the charm of the staging of this show set in the American South. The scenery was authentic with the Diner feeling like an authentic small-town eatery, the props in this show also made it really special especially when Jenna was creating a new pie in her head. Lots of real ingredients and mixing on stage which added real heart to the show. A change from previous productions of Waitress is that Lulu is represented by a doll throughout, there is no child actor portraying her. I felt this was a slight shame as Jenna is pregnant through most of the show, I felt that seeing the little girl come to life as it were would have been a touching moment for the audience.
I would emphasise that this was a very strong cast in the production of the show, with everyone putting in a strong performance. I did particularly enjoy Mark Anderson’s Ogie, his comedic timing was perfect particularly during his spontaneous poems and it was a joy to see the relationship blossom between him and Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins).
The songs in this show are beautiful, and it would be a challenge not to be moved by ‘She Used to be mine’ which was powerfully delivered and really enables us to hear Jenna’s life and story in the letter to her baby that she’s been struggling to write. This is a show full of love, life and laughter, with a wonderful beauty in its realness.
Waitress is playing at the Theatre Royal Brighton until April 11, 2026.
Reviewer: Lisa Dawn
Phot: Johan Persson
Cast
Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jenna,
Sandra Marvin as Becky,
Evelyn Hoskins as Dawn,
Les Dennis as Old Joe,
Dan Partridge as Dr Pomatter,
Mark Anderson as Ogie,
Mark Willshire as Earl and
Dan O’Brien as Cal.
The company is completed by Will Arundell, Yochabel Asante, Alice Croft, Jamie Doncaster, Daniel George-Wright, Will Hardy, Bayley Hart, Olivia Lallo, Emma Lucia, David Mairs-McKenzie and Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez.
Tour Dates
Theatre Royal Brighton – Thu 9 Apr – Sat 11 Apr 2026
New Victoria Theatre, Woking – Mon 20 Apr – Sat 25 Apr 2026
Sunderland Empire – Mon 4 May – Sat 9 May 2026
Edinburgh Playhouse – Tue 12 May – Sat 16 May 2026
Palace Theatre Manchester – Tue 26 May – Sat 30 May 2026
New Theatre Oxford – Mon 29 Jun – Sat 4 Jul 2026
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent – Mon 6 Jul – Sat 11 Jul 2026
Bristol Hippodrome – Tue 4 Aug – Sat 8 Aug 2026
Liverpool Empire – Mon 7 Sep – Sat 12 Sep 2026
Milton Keynes Theatre Tue 22 Sep – Sat 26 Sep 2026
King’s Theatre, Glasgow – Tue 6 Oct – Sat 10 Oct 2026