New Wimbledon Theatre, London – until 11 September 2021
Reviewed by Liberty Noke
5*****
The hilarious musical comedy Waitress opened with a bang in Wimbledon. It is easy to see why this show is so well-loved. From Sara Bareilles amazing score, to the fantastic vocals and perfect comedic timing this show was enjoyable from start to finish.
Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and pie maker in a diner. She is unhappily married to her husband and finds herself pregnant with a baby she didn’t want. But when a new doctor arrives in town Jenna starts to fall for him.
Lucie Jones played Jenna incredibly. Her performance of “She Used to be Mine” was heartbreaking and beautiful and had the whole audience on their feet mid show. Something I have never experienced in a theatre before but that was thoroughly deserved.
Every actor gave a show stopping performance. Each actor was perfectly cast in their role. George Crawford as Oggie had the whole audience laughing. He had such energy and commitment to his performance. The chemistry between Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins), Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Jenna (Lucie Jones) was very believable. The 3 ladies supported each other through difficulties but unlike what you might expect from your typical musical they were all flawed and it was heartwarming to watch them struggle through together.
The stage was set to look like the diner in which Jenna worked with a backdrop that turned to create the hospital. The band were positioned stage left to look like a band you might find at a diner. When Jenna voiced an inner thought the lights faded and she described her feelings like a recipe for a pie which was very effective time and injecting with the theme.
Waitress really is a phenomenal show by an incredibly talented cast. A must-see if ever there was one