OK, I have to admit that didn’t know that much about Waitress The Musical, but after our chat with Chelsea Halfpenny about the show, I dug a little deeper about the show before heading out to see it at Venue Cymru in Llandudno last night.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Waitress is based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly and the movie starred one of my favourite actors, Nathan Fillion. How the heck have I missed this movie, suffice to say I’m going to have to track this one down after seeing the stage musical.
The Musical has some truly amazing music and lyrics that are written by Grammy award-winning, singer-songwriter sensation Sara Bareilles, who appeared on the Graham Norton TV show, performing the hit song from the show She Used To Be Mine. With a book by Jessie Nelson, direction by Tony-award winner Diane Paulus and choreography by Lorin Latarro, Waitress has garnered multiple awards and nominations in both America and the UK, receiving acclaim from both audiences and critics alike.
So after finding out a little more about the show, it was time to head out to Venue Cymru for what would be an absolutely fun night of theatre and music.
Waitress the Musical tells the story of Jenny Hunterson a waitress in the Deep South whose pies are the talk of the town and are much sought after in the dinner that she works in, but Jenna finds out that she is pregnant and her life is about to change as she meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship that may be her last-ditch attempt at happiness.
We open the show with a superb looking set that will faultlessly change with seamless precision throughout the show as we move to various locations all nicely set and lit to give us the little town all on the stage, we also get a wonderful way of focusing on some of the sets as the use of black curtains at the sides and from the top of the stage move in and out to give the stage a type of aspect ration that looks amazing and really focuses on the scenes that we are watching, such as Jenna visiting the doctors and at home with her boyfriend.
The lighting team for Waitress The Musical have really brought us something special as well that brings the wonderful looking sets to life on the stage at Venue Cymru with the moments of a well-lit stage to a key point being highlighted to bring your attention to it, such as the pie in the doctor’s surgery being lit with a sultry spotlight in such a wonderful way that it stands out but also doesn’t take over the scene.
With any good musical you have to have music that is enjoyable to carry the show along and Waitress the Musical certainly has a soundtrack that is superb to listen to, the songs are a delight to listen to and certainly carry the emotions along thanks to the wonderful performances of the cast. It’s not just the lyrics that are great to listen to, it’s the superb performance from the band as well with some lovely slide guitar and percussion that brings the power of the music throughout the theatre.
When it comes to the performances of the cast they are outstanding, they bring Waitress the Musical to life on the stage and they are a pure joy to watch and listen to from the start of the show right through to the end, the vocal talents of the cast are some of the best I’ve heard for a long time.
Waitress the Musical has everything you could possibly want for a night out at the theatre, great production, amazing music, a set that is lovely to watch as it changes throughout the show, plenty of comedy to make you laugh out loud and some emotional moments that give you a slight tear in your eye.
Waitress the Musical is on at Venue Cymru until the 2nd of April 2022.
A show that you just can't miss
Event Title: Waitress The Musical at Venue Cymru
Event Description: Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness.
Start date: March 30, 2022
End date: April 2, 2022
Location name: Venue Cymru
Address: Promenade, Llandudno, LL30 1BB
Summary
Waitress the Musical is lots of fun and has amazing music, set design and a cast that is a pure joy to watch and listen to.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
