Sara Bareilles Stars In
WAITRESSS
The Beloved Broadway Musical Returns For a Limited Engagement September 2, 2021 – January 9, 2022 At The Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Barry and Fran Weissler announced today that the hit Broadway musical Waitress will return for a limited engagement, September 2, 2021 - January 9, 2022, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street, NYC).
Sara Bareilles, the Grammy Award-winning composer of Waitress, will star in the lead role of Jenna Hunterson September 2 through October 17.
Full casting for the return engagement will be announced shortly.
When asked about returning to Broadway, Sara said: “I couldn’t miss the opportunity to be there when Broadway welcomes audiences back into theaters that have been sitting dark for over a year.
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.”
Producers Barry and Fran Weissler said, “Broadway is back! Waitress is so much more than just a great musical returning home. The show is a prime example of resilience, in the same way that New Yorkers and all Americans have grown over that last year. And Broadway is returning as the engine that drives New York City’s recovery, drawing audiences from around the world to be wowed, to celebrate, to cry and to laugh again. We are so proud to be part of that celebration. New York City is alive 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, including a UK tour are heading out as local pandemic restrictions ease up.
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.
Waitress is produced on Broadway by Barry and Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.
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).