Interview: WAITRESS's Keala Settle Kneads the Dough

Keala Settle didn't need pie-making lessons before donning an apron as Becky in the soap opera-ish musical Waitress. Settle, the oldest of five, was schooled in the art of deep dish by a mom who punched dough to cope with the stress of raising her brood.

"My mother taught us all to bake," said Settle, who was born and raised in Hawaii. "It literally calmed us down, and she was able to get rid of all her frustrations." Her mom's weekly routine had the kids baking cinnamon rolls, sourdough and banana bread along with pies worthy of your favorite diner. Settle's favorite? "Key lime, hands down."

Authentic key lime pie is made with Meyer lemons and key limes that combine for a white hue. Meyer lemons, which are seasonal (May-December) and smaller than regular lemons, are thought to be a cross between standard lemons and Mandarin oranges. Those green and yellow key lime pies you've undoubtedly tasted? "That's not key lime pie," Settle said with a laugh. "And without a good graham cracker crust, forget it."

WAITRESS, starring Jessie Mueller who won a Tony for her portrayal of Carole King in BEAUTIFUL, has a book by Jessie Nelson (who waitressed for 10 years) and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, a five-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. It is directed by the Tony award-winning Diane Paulus and is based on the film written by Adrienne Shelly. The play is a celebration of love, motherhood, friendship and the magic of pie-making. Settle, Tony-nominated for HANDS ON A HARDBODY, plays the feisty Becky, one of a trio of overworked Waitresses who struggle to find happiness and meaning in life.

Familiarity with pie-making comes in handy for Settle, who helps Jenna (Jessie Mueller) and Dawn (Kimiko Glenn) serve regulars comfort food and strong Joe along with the acclaimed pies. The trio forms a tight bond as they struggle to deal with burdensome relationships and crushed dreams. "There's no malice in these women. It's a strong friendship, three women making a living," Settle said. "They're all trying to make everyone in their lives happy." Sometimes at the expense of their own emotional well-being, she said.

"My goal is to stay in good health, and every day I wake up and pray that I do," Settle said. "The good news is you always have a choice to be a bitch or rally and I choose to do the latter." Becky's tight friendship with Jenna mirrors the one she has with Mueller. "It's easy because she's my best friend and closest confidante and I'm grateful for that. We make each other laugh, and when we think we can't take it anymore, we keep going." Much like the characters.

"Broadway is really, really hard," Settle said. "But no one has room to complain here, and we all have a great job and we rally for each other."

Becky is a tough character who cares for her older, ailing husband but unexpectedly ends up in a romantic entanglement with her boss, Cal (Eric Anderson). "Becky could easily have been played as an angry person, and I'm consistently wary of doing that. It's not what the show is about," Settle said. Becky's first song in Act Two, "I Didn't Plan It," is a theme song for the character, Settle said, reflective of the painful decisions she's had to make.

"I'm sick of the way I've been waiting to break free," Becky belts. "I'm finally feeling alive," she sings as she embraces new-found love.

Jenna's abusive husband, Earl (Nick Cordero) is the guy you love to hate, and he gets his comeuppance by story's end. In the meantime, Becky provides comfort and encouragement to her co-workers. And she finds some for herself, surprisingly, with Cal.

"Becky is just really old in this business of Waitressing," Settle said. "She's been doing it for a long time in this four-way stop sign of a town. She learns to keep on going. She doesn't give up. There's a hidden quality in Becky that nobody knows about. A calm, cool collected quality that keeps her moving forward and motivates her in a positive way," Settle continued.

"She's not depressed, she just has a lot of attitude," she said with a laugh. The story revolves around Jenna's dream to enter a pie-making contest that would help her get on her feet financially and become independent. "The turning point for Becky in the show is when she learns it's okay to get caught and change. Outwardly Becky seems to have it all together, but what does that really mean?" Settle said. "Obviously she was pushing something down inside, doing the same things day after day after day."

Settle shares some similarities with Becky but differs when it comes to self-approval. "The one thing that is nothing like me is how comfy she is in her own skin," Settle said. "I am nothing like that at all and it forced me to look at myself differently. Becky couldn't care less how she looks and she's always electric and gracious on stage. I go home and play my little video games, crochet and watch cute bunny videos," she said with a laugh.

The mistakes Jenna and Becky make ultimately free them to pursue dreams they thought were long faded, Settle said. "Everyone makes mistakes and we need to learn to forgive ourselves," Settle said. "Jenna's mother passed away, she got married, she went out with a guy who's married and had heartbreak. But we're still here and continue to learn," she said of the characters.

Settle is grateful for the opportunity Waitress is giving her to take care of her fellow actors and herself. And that genuine rapport hasn't gone unnoticed by fans of the show. "We can walk out of the theater and someone has a borderline breakdown when they see us and tell us we've made such a difference in their lives," Settle said. "This show is the perfect musical, we're slinging pies and the audience pays attention to our stories."

And what about those delectable pies that are baked every performance? "Oh," she said, "they usually all get eaten during the show."

Waitress is playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 West 47th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus