Jenna (Zanny Laird) knows that her whole life is about to change when she learns that she’s pregnant in the blockbuster Broadway play, “Waitress.”
Jenna doesn’t love her husband, Earl (Corey Rieger), with good reason. The man is cruel, selfish and lazy. However, Jenna can’t figure out how to leave him.
Jenna’s personality is perfectly encapsulated in song, “She is messy, but she’s kind. She is lonely most of the time,” but she’s also an amazing pie maker. Fellow waitresses, Becky (La’Nette Wallace), and Dawn (Catherine Baird) are slinging hash and flinging barbs in Joe’s Diner alongside her. They are also her moral (and sometimes immoral) support system.
Jenna’s the overwhelmed one. Becky is the sassy one. Dawn is the ditzy one. It’s the 70s sitcom “Alice” with a Sara Bareilles soundtrack.
Her life changes when she meets Dr. Jim Pomatter (Brett Goodnack, everyone’s favorite chainsaw wielding Ash), her gynecologist.
Meanwhile Becky is knocking boots with the manager, Cal (Ben Sheedy), the Mel to Jenna’s Alice. Dawn gets a meet-cute with the goofy but lovable, Ogie (a hilarious Quinn Patrick Shannon, turning in a brilliant performance in a smaller role).
The diner owner, Joe (Danny Herman), is a tough curmudgeon, but he’s got a soft spot for Jenna, as long as she remembers to put his tomatoes on the side.
When putting the show together, Director Tim Seib picked the perfect ingredients, blending top notch actors, a superb band, with amazing music created a smash hit.
Laird has proven time and time again that she is a star on the Pittsburgh stage and would be welcome on any Broadway stage. Her rendition of “She Used To Be Mine” is a showstopper. There are not enough hyperboles to describe it.
Goodnack also has star quality. He has grown into a charismatic and dynamic leading man.
Side note: This critic recognized Goodnack’s burgeoning talent in a musical theater improv group, the Wunderstudies, nearly fifteen years ago where he told a certain Patch reporter to “Try the funnel cakes!” at a fair in Oakdale, PA.
Wallace’s Becky is a blast. She absolutely slays with “I Didn’t Plan It,” a powerful number that opens up the second act.
“Waitress” is filled with extras. Diners need patrons and musicals need backup dancers and harmonizers. It’s a gifted class of background performers. Nurse Norma (Jeyni Ortiz-Valentin) dishes out some of the best lines of the show, spitting them out, under her breath, with candor and aplomb. Isabel Kruse has a silent role as Jenna’s deceased mom, but it is a poignant performance.
Tucker Topel’s scenic design emulates the Broadway stage version of the set with soft pinks and blues fit for Lulu’s nursery. It is perfectly complemented by Todd Nonn’s impeccable lighting design.
Excellent costumes by Jeremy Eiben, which includes, waitress costumes, street clothes, and some Revolutionary War cosplay.
One small side note: There are renovation plans in the works for PMT stages and that’s a good thing, because if you get stuck behind a tall or broad- shouldered person, you’re only seeing part of the performance.
The show runs a little long, especially when setting up all of the characters and their various storylines, but it gives all of the principle cast members their own moment to shine.
If you’re ready for a uplifting story of hope and redemption, “Waitress” is ready to serve you. It’s a must-see show.
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“Waitress” runs until May 25 at the Gargaro Theater in Pittsburgh’s West End, 327 South Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. For more information, click here.
