Geordie TV star Chelsea Halfpenny was given a very warm welcome by her home audience on Tuesday night, as she took to the stage in Waitress at Newcastle Theatre Royal.
The former Emmerdale cast member starred as pie-making prodigy Jenna, in the musical adaption of Adrienne Shelly’s cult American indie flick of the same name.
The show, which features a catchy country-rock soundtrack by singer-song writer Sara Bareilles, follows the Southern waitress as she seeks to escape her abusive marriage, find happiness and cook up a storm.
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When she falls for a hunky new doctor in town, played by Busted's Matt Willis, things become complicated and Jenna has to come up with a special recipe to remedy life's challenges.
Chelsea was certainly deserving of her standing ovation in Newcastle, as she playfully embodied the heroine and wowed the audience with her performance of belters like 'She used to be mine' and 'You Matter to Me'.
But what came as a surprise to me was the unpredictable sauciness and zaniness of the show.
Although it was mostly focused on universal themes like love, friendship and motherhood, there were some flirtatious and silly interludes that really spiced things up.
Examples include a pie-based cunnilingus scene, which got the audience giggling, and the chaotic introduction of Ogie, a hyperactive and dorky love interest of Jenna's colleague Dawn.
The show was enjoyable throughout, but for me, it really built momentum in the second half.
This was as Jenna's friends at Joe's Diner, Dawn and Becky, blossomed and began to command the stage with their own eccentricities and stories.
You soon come to realise that each of the main characters is undeniably flawed, yet loveable in their own way, and that is what made the performance feel more genuine than most musical productions.
Although it was a bit heavy on the allegorical pie motifs for me, on the whole, it definitely had all the ingredients of a feel-good, empowering musical.
You could tell the show had been brought to life by a female-led creative team, and for that reason, it was an uplifting thing to watch to mark International Women's day.
The running time was around 2 hours 40 mins and the show runs at the Theatre Royal until Saturday, March 12. Tickets can be found here.
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