Breaking News: Tony Winner Jessie Mueller Will Officially Return to Broadway in WAITRESS; Theatre, Opening Night Set!

Though there wasn't much doubt, BroadwayWorld has confirmed that Tony winner Jessie Mueller, who appeared in the out-of-town tryout of Sara Bareilles' new musical WAITRESS, will officially transfer with the production to Broadway.

In addition, it's also been announced that WAITRESS will open on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue). Previews will begin on Friday, March 25, 2016.

Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, the new musical has a book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer songwriter Sara Bareilles and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for Waitress go on sale exclusively to Citi cardmembers from Monday, October 5 at 10:00 AM EST through Tuesday, October 13 at 9:59 AM EST. Visit www.CitiPrivatePass.com for details.

Audience Rewards members can purchase tickets through an exclusive presale from Tuesday, October 13 at 10:00 AM EST through Monday, October 19 at 9:59 AM EST. Audience Rewards is the Official Rewards Program of Broadway & the Arts. It's a standing ovation for ticket buyers across the nation. Earn valuable ShowPoints every time you buy tickets to participating theatrical productions, live entertainment, exhibitions and more. Save money by redeeming ShowPoints for free tickets to the events you love or, even better, securing unique experiences and merchandise exclusively curated for Audience Rewards members. It's free and fast to join. Visit www.AudienceRewards.com to sign up and purchase.

General public on sale begins on Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 AM EST by calling Ticketmaster.com at 877-250-2929 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.

Jenna (Jessie Mueller) is a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop forever... until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town's handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she's been missing all along - courage.

Waitress will be produced on Broadway by Barry and Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.

Jessie Mueller (Jenna) won the 2014 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and a 2015 Grammy Award for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful, The Carole King Musical. She made her Broadway debut opposite Harry Connick Jr. in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she received Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations. She was also seen on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Drama Desk nomination) and Nice Work If You Can Get It. In her native Chicago, Mueller has won acclaim for starring roles in She Loves Me (Joseph Jefferson Award), Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, Curtains and Carousel (Joseph Jefferson Award), among other musicals.

Jessie Nelson (Book) wrote, directed, and produced Corrina, Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg and I Am Sam with Sean Penn, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Recently she directed Let It Snow with Diane Keaton and John Goodman, which will be released this Christmas. Jessie co-wrote Step Mom and The Story of Us, and produced Danny Collins with Al Pacino and Annette Bening and Fred Claus with Vince Vaughn. Jessie co-wrote Alice By Heart with Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, which was developed at The National Theatre. She began her career in the theater working with Mabou Mines and The New York Shakespeare Festival. Jessie co-wrote the children's book Labracadabra. She has been the Artistic Director of the Sundance Institute's Writers Lab.

Sara Bareilles (Music and Lyrics) first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her hit "Love Song," which reached #1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice. Since then, the Eureka, CA native has sold millions of albums worldwide and received five Grammy nominations including Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Love Song." Bareilles' highly anticipated sophomore release Kaleidoscope Heart debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in September 2010 and has gained praise everywhere including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, People and Los Angeles Times. The album yielded the hit single "King of Anything," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2011, Bareilles joined the judges' panel on the hit NBC show "The Sing-Off." Soon after, she released her highly revered Once Upon Another Time EP, produced by singer/songwriter and fellow "Sing-Off" judge Ben Folds. Sara's highly acclaimed third studio album, The Blessed Unrest, released in 2013 via Epic Records, debuted at #2 on the Billboard album chart and was nominated for two Grammy Awards including "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Performance" for her hit single "Brave." Bareilles' upcoming book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Song, is slated to be released on October 6 by Simon & Schuster. On November 6, Sara is also releasing a solo studio album, What's Inside: Songs from Waitress, on Epic Records. For more information, please visit www.sarabmusic.com

Diane Paulus (Director) is The Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the A.R.T. at Harvard University, and was selected for the 2014 TIME 100, TIME Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Paulus is the 2013 recipient of the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical (Pippin). A.R.T.: Crossing, Finding Neverland (currently on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre), Witness Uganda, Pippin, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Prometheus Bound, Tod Machover's Death and the Powers: The Robots' Opera, Best of Both Worlds, Johnny Baseball, The Donkey Show. Her other recent work includes Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna, currently on tour in Europe; The Public Theater's Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR on Broadway and London's West End. As an opera director, her credits include The Magic Flute, the complete Monteverdi cycle, and Don Giovanni, among others. Diane is Professor of the Practice of Theater in Harvard University's English Department. She was selected as one of Variety's "Trailblazing Women in Entertainment for 2014" and Boston Magazine's "50 Thought Leaders of 2014."

Photo by Jeremy Daniel