WAITRESS To Launch Limited 2nd Equity Tour In Charlotte

Blumenthal Performing Arts announced that the hit Broadway musical Waitress will return to Charlotte for a special 5-week engagement, April 19 - May 22, 2022, in the intimate 442-seat Booth Playhouse. Charlotte is the opening city on this special tour hitting just a handful of markets around the country. Tickets start at $34.50 and go on sale to the public this Friday, Feb. 4 at 2pm ET at BlumenthalArts.org.

"Waitress was a fan favorite during its first run in Charlotte in 2018 and we are thrilled to kick off this second tour with a special return engagement," said Tom Gabbard, Blumenthal CEO. "Seeing this beloved show in a smaller, more intimate venue will give Charlotte audiences an unrivaled chance to connect more deeply with the musical's heartfelt story of resilience, which feels timelier than ever. Sara Bareilles herself played the intimate Booth Playhouse, so it's wonderful to welcome her music back to that stage."

Full casting for the return engagement will be announced shortly.

Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics for the show and starred in the Broadway production commented on the musical's recent return to Broadway: "It is a gift to get to revisit the beautiful story of Waitress, centered around hope, resilience, and the support of our chosen family. It's so special to be able to celebrate those same qualities at this moment in time within our theater family. Like so many people all over the world, this community has endured great loss and tremendous hardship, and we are all changed. But with this change comes powerful motivation to bring what we have learned and experienced this past year to make something even more beautiful and more intentional. Broadway is grit and grace, magic and mayhem, and I can't wait to feel the electricity that pulses through all of us as the curtains rise once again."

Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Grammy Winner and Tony and Emmy Award-nominated Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.

The Waitress design team features sets by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask, costumes by Suttirat Anne Larlarb, lighting by Tony Award-winner Christopher Akerlind and sound by Tony Award-nominee Jonathan Deans. Music supervisor is Nadia DiGiallonardo. Casting is by Telsey + Company.

Debuting in April 2016, Waitress is one of the longest-running shows in recent Broadway history, playing more than 1500 performances at The Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The musical recouped its production investment in less than 10 months --Waitress and Hamilton were the only new musicals from the 2015-2016 Broadway season that went into profit that year.

Waitress has also played successful productions on US National Tours, London's West End and around the world. New international productions include a UK tour currently on the road.

Waitress tells the story of Jenna a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow Waitress's, and an unexpected romance Jenna begins to find the courage to take a long-abandoned dream off the shelf. Waitress celebrates the power of friendship, dreams, the family we choose and the beauty of a well baked pie.

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Waitress is produced on Broadway by Barry and Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.a??

The Waitress original motion picture was produced by Michael Roiff / Night & Day Productions. The musical's world premiere was produced by The American Repertory Theatre at Harvard University, August 2, 2015 (Diane Paulus Artistic Director and Diane Borger, Producer).

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