REVIEW: Waitress (Olney Theatre Center)

How did it take this long for Waitress to get produced in the DMV?

I’ve been waiting for the long-running crowd pleaser to get picked up by local houses since MTI got the rights way back in 2019. Granted, A Lot has happened since (including a return Broadway engagement), but it always struck me as the kind of show regional houses would make a killing on. Six years later, it’s the MoCo stalwart Olney Theatre Center who’s got first dibs on the 2015 hit. And the wait has been well worth it.

Book/Music

I can’t believe I forgot how damn good Sara Bareilles’ score was.

Her airy songwriting is structured with such creative narration and syllable arrangements, evident in any of her mainstream pop songs — but she is in the zone when it comes to stringing a series of them into a stage format. Waitress is assuredly one of those shows in which any given track could be a radio-ready pop single. Just to name a few, “When He Sees Me” helps deliver a shock of life into what could have been left as a minor side character, and “She Used to Be Mine” has become a ballad deep in the ranks of the Broadway 11 o’clock canon. In fact, I’m sure had it not been against Hamilton in its Tony year, it would have cleaned up all of its awards. Including Jesse Nelson’s book, which is adapted from the late Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie film of the same name. The premises are identical: Jenna, a greasy spoon waitress with a penchant for pies, is stuck in an unhappy life with an abusive husband and no direction. When suddenly she falls pregnant, she devises a plan to enter a regional pie contest to win enough cash to start a new life. Surrounded by the infinitely sympathetic Jenna are her work besties: the anxious, nerdy Dawn and headstrong, well-worn Becky, who are each given their own care and goals, explored with succinct complimentary feeling that is impactful without distracting. It’s a greatly heartwarming story of how traditionally “women’s work” is utilized as a means of empowerment and self-determination, that is both resonant and heartily entertaining with the right amounts of optimism and tragedy—ultimately realized via a finale that truly delivers.

Ms. Bareilles, American theatre needs you back at the piano right now. 10/10

Acting

Local internet sensation Malinda is divine as our title waitress; with a healthy twang and disillusioned undertones, she makes the tragically complex Jenna a verily lifelike one. Her onstage chemistry with everyone feels effortless, from the crotchety diner owner Joe (Bobby Smith) to her colleagues Dawn (Ashley D. Nguyen) and Becky (Allison Blackwell, boisterous and caring), and her paramour gyno Dr. Pomatter (the impressive David Scolar). Nguyen is stunning in her supporting turn as Dawn; not only vocally powerful, but utterly scene-stealing with a wonderfully bouncy presence that only grows and evolves with her character, ultimately becoming a force of nature when imbued with the irresistibility of Sam C. Jones’ Ogie. It is a fine example of a well-tuned ensemble, that director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge has cultivated with finesse. 10/10

Production

Though in many ways similar to the original Broadway production, there’s enough to single this out with this production to distinct it from a mere replica. The first bout of evidence I noticed was the deep red waitress uniforms, a far cry from the sky blue the piece has come to be known for. Little did I know this was but the first example of Sarah Cubbage’s excellent costumes—just look at anything Ogie is wearing the entire show. The scenic design by Chen-Wei Liao is additionally impressive with its use of mobile trapdoors and diner decor, and gorgeously adorned with Minjoo Kim’s twinkling night skies and crimson sunsets (it looked like the auto-spotlight could use some adjustment, however, something I noticed from their previous production, Frozen.). Dodge’s chroreography is delightfully creative, too; it’s clear that someone enjoyed the Wicked film. (Not that I’m complaining, who doesn’t love a musical in-joke?) Oh, and somebody please give prop artist Jason Dearing some sort of award for the details on those pies, please. I could just eat each one up. 10/10

Viz

We’ve got pies in this show. Lots of ‘em. The key art lets you know that without hesitation, using an actual, real-life pie whose crust was cut into the wordmark of the show — an astounding commitment to detail. Though the scrim definitely telegraphs its impending glow-up in the opening number, there are details that I thought could have established setting better on the main stage. (Off to stage right was a rural telephone pole with highway signs and a bus stop, which conversely was a great touch.) 9/10

Verdict

Waitress at Olney is a delectable new production that is full of flavor and passion, in which the indelible care of its cast and creative team bakes a sure-fire winner. 38/40