A Review "Waitress" – And No, Tipping Is Not a City in China

 

Zanny Laird as Jenna in "Waitress"Credit: Matt Polk

Decked out in a baby blue dress covered by a spotless white apron, Jenna (Zanny Laird) looks as sweet as some of the pies she’s renowned for making. Yet, under this comely veneer, this waitress in a café-style pie shop is struggling with her own set of demons.

She’s stuck in a job that’s taking her nowhere, is married to a lout of a husband, Earl (Corey Rieger) and works double duty as both waitress and pie maker under the thumb of a demanding, irritable boss named Cal (Ben Sheedy).

Just when she thinks there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, another calamity hits. She discovers she’s with child.

La'Nette Wallace as Becky, Zanny :Laird as Jenna and Catherine Baird as Dawn Credit Matt Polk

Her only source of comfort and support comes from co-workers Becky (La’Nette Wallace) and Dawn (Catherine Baird), who guide her through her pregnancy test in “The Negative.” Her fellow waitresses also commiserate with her marital situation in which Earl used her hard-earned tips to go drinking with his buddies and even threatens her with physical abuse.

Zanny Laird as Jenna and Danny Herman as Joe in Waitress Credit: Matt Polk

Despite his eccentric ways and ridiculous demands (he wants his tomato on a separate plate and his coffee served after his meal) the pie shop owner, Joe (Danny Herman) is softer than he appears and eventually proves a big boon to Jenna’s future happiness

Based on the 2007 film, Waitress was adapted for the stage by Jessie Nelson with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and went on to win four Tony nominations, including Best Musical. With twenty largely pop songs in the score, the standout now most associated with the musical is the melancholic “She Used to Be Mine.”

Amazingly, Pittsburgh Musical Theater has assembled a blockbuster cast with many of the principals given their moment to musically shine. Laird, of course, carries most of the show on her shoulders, either in solo, duet or ensemble pieces. Wallace’s dazzling “I Didn’t Plan It” spotlights her powerful voice. The actress also has a bounty of comedic talent that speckles the show with sassy sweetness.

Easy to dislike for his callous, even brutal relationship with Jenna, Rieger aced the role of Earl but also displayed an outstanding singing voice in “You Will Still Be Mine.”

As the ditzy, love-lacking waitress, Dawn Baird opens up with a sparkling rendition of “When He Sees Me” and shows a more formidable side to her rather self-effacing character.

Zanny Laird as Jenna and Brett Goodnack as Dr. Pomatter Credit Matt Polk

    Another character who comes to life vocally is Jenna’s rather overly emotionally cautious and reticent gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Brett Goodnack), who proves he can croon with the best of them in “It Only Takes a Taste” and “Bad Idea.”

For my taste, Quinn Patrick Shannon as Ogie is the actor who pulled off the most entertaining segment in Act One with his shenanigans in and around his rendition of “Never Getting Rid of Me.” Watch for it; it’s a gem.

Credit music director Dr. Francesca Tortorello with keeping the show’s musical sextet in perfect sync with the cast of warblers and giving the show’s tunes an understated but rich sounding accompaniment. 

Director Tim Seib, along with choreographer, Larry Lozier-Woods, pulls off some nifty visuals such as the way he represents the multiple armed, Hindu god several times in back of Jenna and handles the simulated sex scene with Jenna and her doctor. Scenic designer, Tucker Topel creates a believable diner in which most of the action takes place, but also, with the help of some adept and largely inconspicuous stage hands, conjures up scenes in the doctor’s office or Jenna and Earl’s home with the movement on and off stage of a few scenic elements.

In this mix of this mostly sugary comedy with touches of tartness and a soupcon of bitterness, book writer, Jessie Nelson introduces a way out of her perplexing conundrum for Jenna. She’s intrigued by the idea of entering a pie baking contest and winning the $20,000 prize, enough to open her own pie shop and a new chapter of her life.

Without giving away the outcome, let’s say the narrative ingredients converge to produce an umami finale that involves a look at Jenna’s life five years down the road with her daughter, Lulu (Meira Molinaro) now in the picture

At intermission, purchase a piece of pie at the refreshment stand at the back of the theater. The peach blueberry is delicious, but I wouldn’t pass up a slice of apple or cherry either. They’re simply icing on the cake.

“Waitress,” a production of Pittsburgh Musical Theater, is at the Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main Street in Pittsburgh’s West End through May 25. For tickets, phone (412) 539-0900 or pittsburghmusicals.com.