Review: WAITRESS at The Phoenix Theatre Company

Guest contributor David Appleford’s thumbs-up review of The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of WAITRESS.

When expert pie-maker and waitress Jenna (an outstanding Cassie Chilton with a dynamic voice) either concocts or fantasizes the recipe for a new pie, an almost other-worldly voice sings in a whisper the pie’s first ingredient: “Sugar.”  And depending on her mood, the waitress gives each pie an individual name, such as “My Eggs Have Trapped Me Pie,” or “My Husband’s a Jerk Chicken Pot Pie.”

Based on the 2007 film of the same name by the late writer and actor Adrienne Shelly, who also played one of Jenna’s co-workers in the movie, WAITRESS the musical, presented by The Phoenix Theatre Company on the Hormel Theatre stage until November 24, follows the same plot points as the screenplay, but changes the overall tone into something far more rewarding.

It's never mentioned exactly where, but somewhere in the deep south, just off a long, lonely-looking highway, sits Joe’s Pie Diner. It's where Jenna works along with two other waitresses, the sassy Becky (Chanel Edwards-Frederick) and the bespectacled, ditzy Dawn (Bonnie Beus Romney), both hugely likable characters and played by two exceptionally engaging performers with just the right amount of comical tone.  Once Jenna's new recipe thoughts for the morning are interrupted by the diner's boss, the continually gruff Cal (Joseph Paul Cavazos), it's back to serving customers.

But there’s something different about Jenna on this particular day. She’s distracted. Plus, there’s that early morning sickness. Though she doesn’t want to know, both Becky and Dawn insist Jenna takes a home pregnancy test, just in case. And, of course, it’s positive. Jenna blames it on the red dress, the one she was wearing that evening, the sparkly one. 

After a night with her abusive and insensitive husband, Earl (Caleb Reese, in fine good ol' boy-threatening form), the waitress is now saddled with an unwanted pregnancy, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. How does she handle the news?  By concocting the recipe for a new pie called The I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie.

At its core, Waitress is a surprisingly poignant tale of personal struggle and self-discovery.  Jenna is trapped in an unhappy marriage and dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. The depth of her emotions and how they affect her character's attitudes and subsequent behavior is central to the dramatic undercurrent running throughout this continually attention-grabbing and, as sharply directed by Chanel Bragg, undeniably fun musical. Jenna’s journey captures the struggle of someone constrained in her day-to-day life by an oppressive relationship while harboring a yearning for freedom and fulfillment.

The character's turmoil of an unhappy home life contrasts with the broad comedic relief the characters provide in the diner where she works. The interactions at work, especially involving Jenna's colleagues Becky and Dawn, inject an abundance of laugh-out-loud humor.  Writer Jessie Nelson's new book for the musical is consistently witty.  When Becky asks her fellow waitresses, "Is my left boob hanging down?  I’m looking like something Picasso would have made," it may have nothing to do with anything, but it's a funny-sounding line. And for some reason, recognizable product name-dropping always makes an ordinary comment sound more amusing than it is. When husband Earl tells Jenna why his boss complained that Earl was late for work yet again, he states, "Don’t blame the line at Taco Bell on me.” 

The broadest of all is Dawn's blind-date boyfriend, Ogie (Teddy Ladley), a man whose supply of caffeine never quits. Ogie has a very different idea of how the first date with Dawn went; he feels he's met his soul mate, and she never wants to see him again. His high energy, pushing-it-to-the-limit number, Never Ever Getting Rid of Me, performed with an unstoppable frenetic energy, ends with the need for him to calm down and pull out an inhaler.  It may be over the top – way over the top - but from the lengthy, riotous applause Ladley received on his exit, it works for Phoenix Theatre Company audiences.

Also intentionally funnier than conceived in the film is Jenna’s OB/GYN, Dr. Pomatter (Shonn Wiley) the medical man with whom Jenna has an affair. The introduction of the good doctor brings a different layer of humor to the show. Seduced by the taste of one of her pies, the man uses his nervous energy to change a professional doctor/patient relationship to something more personal. After an impulsive kiss on Jenna’s part, both parties feel the urge to step away from the frustration of their home lives to be with each other, secretly stealing every private moment they can to have comically energetic sex – and creatively eat pie – in the doctor’s office.  With his awkward yet endearing interactions with the waitress, Wiley’s performance as the doctor brings an altogether different form of levity to the show.

This dynamic between the waitress and the doctor is also captured beautifully in the duet It Only Takes a Taste, highlighting a shared moment of connection and intimacy that is both humorous and tender. The song's conversational style and clever lyrics serve as an artistic high point.  While Ogie's song may be the crowd favorite, it's the humorous duet performed by Jenna and the doctor while seated on a bench waiting for a bus that steals the show. With clever lyrics and its conversational style, it's the most theatrically satisfying number in the production.

Integral to the success of the show is Michelle Chin's choreography. It serves not only as a means of creating a constant sense of upbeat, fluid movement but aids the overall musical rhythm of the production as the show slickly moves from one scene to another without a pause. And if you're sitting close enough, you'll be able to appreciate the smaller, finer details included in Josafath Reynoso's highly effective scenic design of the diner's interior, where its walls are littered with framed pictures of the past and rows of early Polaroids are untidily pinned around the frame of the kitchen entrance behind the bar. 

However, what might surprise the most for those new to the musical is hearing Sara Bareilles’ masterful score for the first time. Her compositions blend elements of pop and rock with theatrical storytelling, providing a soundtrack that is both contemporary and character-driven. The music serves to elevate the story, capturing the emotions and aspirations of individuals navigating life's complexities in seemingly mundane settings. Songs like You Matter To Me and She Used to Be Mine - and sung as well as they are here by an excellent cast, backed by an outstanding live seven-piece orchestra under Kevin Robert White’s musical direction -   underscore the emotional arcs of the characters.

Broadway musicals have a unique ability of weaving drama and comedy with music to create stories that, when done as well as it is done here by The Phoenix Theatre Company can often resonate emotionally with audiences in a way that film can’t. WAITRESS as a live musical is a testament to this unique form of American theatre; it offers a fresh perspective on familiar surroundings and situations while inspiring us with its message of hope and self-empowerment.  You won’t see a better production.

The Phoenix Theatre Company ~ www.phoenixtheatre.com ~ Box office: 602-254-2151 ~ 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ

Graphic credit to TPTC

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