Despite a delayed start the production of the musical waitress was remarkable from start to end. Ensemble member Amy Fisher took on the role of Jenna for the show’s opening performance in Nottingham, where audience members were taken on an emotional rollercoaster of wanting to laugh and cry with the characters on stage.
The romantic comedy musical follows the life of Jenna, a waitress and pie-making expert, who finds out she is pregnant. She can conquer anything life throws at her with the help of her fellow waitresses Becky and Dawn, played by the witty Wendy Mae Brown and energetic Evelyn Hoskins, but with her cruel husband and new doctor in town, Jenna finds herself having an affair.
Although everything changes once her baby is born. A versatile set helped bring the story to life on stage, as cast members were able to seamlessly transition between locations, but a real asset to the musical was the on-stage band.
Read more: The lost origins of Nottingham's Rock City - from Royal visits to an ice rink
The live music being included in the performance rather than just in the side-lines added to the experience and allowed the musicians to get involved with the scenes as well. Old Joe, portrayed by Michael Starke, rightly said that “it’s warm in here, it’s warm” when he entered the diner, as the show was performing on one of the hottest nights of the year.
However, the aircon system meant that audience members could enjoy the performance without baking in the oven like one of Jenna’s pies. Amy Fisher entranced the audience with her vocals throughout the performance, especially in ‘She used to be mine’, but it was nice to see all the cast members have a chance to shine and show off their vocals.
Songs like ‘I love you like a table’, ‘The negative’ and ‘Bad idea’ also had the audience in stitches, as the characters comically dealt with their life problems. Another highlight of the show is how well the cast worked together to create Jenna’s daydream pie idea moments, where they helped melt away the world around her like butter so she could focus on her new ideas.
It was a fantastic performance from start to end, I only wish I had eaten a pie before as the dozens of pie recipes being talked about had my stomach growling.
Read next:
