I think the first time I heard somebody raving about how much they love the musical Waitress – with music written by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and based on the 2007 film of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly – must’ve been almost a decade ago, soon after it first opened on Broadway. It then opened in London in 2019, but not yet being the theatre luvvie that I am today, I didn’t go and see it; a fact I seriously regretted when it shut prematurely in March 2020 due to the pandemic. So, when I learned that there was a UK tour led by the multi-award winning powerhouse that is Carrie Hope Fletcher, and starting at my local theatre in Wimbledon, I was seriously excited to finally see it.
I went in almost blind – I knew that it was about a waitress (duh), and I knew that she was pregnant. It turns out that’s a pretty good start…
The story revolves around Jenna, a waitress in a small-town roadside diner that specialises in pies. She’s a pie cook extraordinaire, creating a new recipe every single day, usually inspired by whatever emotional chaos she’s currently dealing with. She has an abusive POS husband, Earl, a toxically masculine man with abandonment issues that she married far too young. When she discovers she’s pregnant, she understandably panics, unsure whether she wants to bring a child into a life where she already feels trapped. Mark Willshire is fantastic here, making Earl utterly vile, but still believable, which somehow makes him worse.
Her fellow waitresses and best friends Becky and Dawn, played by Sandra Marvin and Evelyn Hoskins – Hoskins reprising the role she played in the West End production – form her support system. When Jenna learns of a pie-making contest in a nearby town with a huge cash prize, she sees it as her chance to escape, start over, and build a better life for herself and her baby.
Holding court in Joe’s Pie Diner is Cal, played by Dan O’Brien, the gruff, shouty manager who seems permanently on the verge of firing everyone. He’s very much the stereotypical hard-arse boss, barking orders and complaining about everything, but it quickly becomes clear it’s mostly bluster. Underneath, he’s deeply fond of the waitresses and clearly has no intention of getting rid of them. It’s a caricature, but a warm one, and O’Brien leans into both the comedy and the underlying affection nicely.
The show opens with the words ‘Sugar, Butter, Flour’, immediately dropping us into Jenna’s world of baking, before flowing into the joyful opening number ‘What’s Inside’, which gives us instant warm feels while setting up the emotional heart of the story. All the action centres around Joe’s Pie Diner, which makes up the main set, with the band sat on stage in the corner like customers who just happen to have instruments. It’s a lovely touch, and you almost forget they’re there until you suddenly notice them again mid-scene as the music re-starts.
Scott Pask’s set is simple but very effective. The diner interior sits in front of a backdrop showing a road stretching off into the distance, complete with pylons and a changing sky marking the time of day. It gives a real sense of place, and more than once I caught myself thinking how inviting that open road looked compared with Jenna’s trapped life. There are a couple of smaller sets wheeled in for Jenna’s apartment and the doctor’s office, but ultimately everything still feels like it exists within the world of the diner.
Carrie Hope Fletcher’s Jenna is superb. Her performance builds throughout, layered with a deep sadness that at times I felt overwhelmed by, but always grounded in resilience. Even at her lowest, you sense she’s not finished, that somehow she’s going to fight her way through and come out stronger. That emotional through-line runs right across the show and culminates in ‘She Used to Be Mine’. It’s a song you feel in your chest. As she sings about the person she once was, the dreams she had, and everything that she’s let slip away, it’s painfully relatable. The song is full of nostalgia, regret, and lost dreams, and Fletcher delivers it with such raw honesty and passion that I and everyone around me was reaching for the tissues. The audience reaction at the end of the song was incredible, and deservedly so.
Willshire’s Earl is deeply uncomfortable to watch, which is exactly the point. His possessiveness and neediness are just pathetic. He sings a song at one point that is supposed to be a love song, but it’s so awkward that some people in the audience were laughing at the absurdity. I was not laughing, I was just overcome by the sadness emanating from Fletcher. Their scenes together are heavy, with Jenna’s pain a powerful presence in their marriage.
Thankfully, the show balances that darkness with warmth and humour. Whenever Fletcher, Marvin, and Hoskins sing together, the harmonies are gorgeous, their voices blending beautifully and reinforcing the bond between the three women. ‘A Soft Place to Land’ captures that friendship perfectly, offering a gentle pause in the story where their support for each other takes centre stage.
Evelyn Hoskins’ Dawn also anchors the show’s delightful B-plot. Terrified of dating yet desperate for love, she delivers a wonderfully anxious and endearing ‘When He Sees Me’, before being swept off her feet by Ogie, played with joyful frivolity by Mark Anderson. His ‘Never Ever Getting Rid of Me’ could easily feel stalkery, but Anderson keeps it sweet, funny, and oddly charming. The pair have great chemistry, portraying these two characters who clearly have the best kind of matching neurodiversities, and their storyline provides a welcome contrast to Jenna’s heavier, sadder journey.
Sandra Marvin’s Becky brings warmth, humour, and serious vocal power, particularly in ‘I Didn’t Plan It’, which she absolutely belts. It’s a real show-stopping moment and a reminder that this cast is stacked with vocal talent.
Dan Partridge’s Dr Pomatter enters as the nervous new doctor in town, instantly smitten with Jenna and her pies. Their relationship develops into a complicated, messy affair that’s romantic, funny, and ethically questionable in equal measure. Partridge and Fletcher have strong chemistry, particularly in ‘You Matter to Me’, which is a genuinely tender moment.
There are some lovely supporting turns throughout. Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez is hilarious as Nurse Norma, constantly almost catching Jenna and Pomatter mid-affair, and bringing plenty of personality to a relatively small role.
Then there’s Les Dennis as Joe, the set-in-his-ways diner owner who reveals himself as Jenna’s biggest supporter. He’s not been hired for his vocals, but he brings real warmth and sincerity to the role, especially in his kindly encouragement of Jenna to believe in herself and chase the pie contest. As a child of the 80s, I grew up with Les, and it’s wonderful to see him still going strong, and upholding his well-earned national treasure status.
What works so well about Waitress is how it balances tone throughout. It’s funny, warm, and often sweet, but it never shies away from messy relationships, unhappy marriages, and people feeling stuck in lives they didn’t plan. For every quirky comic moment, there’s something grounding it in real depth of emotion.
I waited nearly a decade to finally see Waitress, and it was totally worth it. With an exceptional central performance from Carrie Hope Fletcher, a fantastic supporting cast, gorgeous music, and a story full of heart, humour, and just the right amount of pain, this production is as comforting and satisfying as one of Jenna’s pies. Today’s pie is called “Get Yourself a Ticket While You Can pie”, make sure you grab a slice before it’s all gone!
Waitress is serving a delicious slice of musical pie across the UK between now and 31st Oct 2026.
For tickets and tour information visit waitressthemusical.co.uk
Words Nick Barr
Production photo Johan Persson
Press night photography Natalya Micic
