Berkshire on Stage

There is a hominess and sense of Southern hospitality and graciousness in the Majestic Theater’s
newest offering, WAITRESS. The Broadway hit musical by Jessie Nelson, with music and lyrics
by Sara Bareilles, will run from April 17 through June 1. An extremely talented cast and creative
ensemble have worked hard to bring to the stage this energetic and often charming musical.
Beautifully directed by the Majestic’s Associate Producing Director, Sue Dziura, WAITRESS is
a fast-moving, visually impressive theatrical treat.

As Dziura explains in her director’s notes, WAITRESS “is exactly the kind of show that
Majestic audiences love—a fun, funny, touching musical packed with gorgeous music and real-
life characters.” Based in an indie film, WAITRESS became a smash hit when Bareilles brought
it to Broadway in 2015. The Grammy Award Winning singer/actress has been famous for her
“piano based pop soul.” WAITRESS is told in almost continuous song with music ranging from
sweet ballads to uplifting, danceable songs that lift the spirit.

Set somewhere in the U.S. South at Joe’s Pie Diner, we enter the lives of three hard-working
waitresses. Dawn is a shy and awkward and just starting to enter the scary world of on-line
dating. Becky is older and wiser and, as it turns out, dealing with a seriously ill husband. Jenna
(described by Becky as “the queen of kindness and goodness”) finds her greatest joy in baking,
which she learned from her mother. Inventing new pies for every occasion, Jenna finds she can
deal with her abusive husband and the disappointments of life in a small Southern town. When
faced with an unwanted pregnancy, Jenna’s journey, with the help of her friends, propels her to
find out who she is and get what she wants out of life.

There’s a lot to love in this production. Most impressive is the elegant and inventive staging by
director Sue Dziura. The scene is kept moving from the diner to the doctor’s office to Jenna’s
house, with enormous creativity and by the work of a proficient and well-rehearsed ensemble of
actors. Dziura particularly used props ingeniously. She had great support from the imaginative
and evocative lighting and scenic design by Daniel Rist and Josiah Durham. From the moment
we enter the theatre, Joe’s Pie Diner is awash in a lovely lavender light and the stage is full of
rolling pie racks. This is almost a fantasy diner – not a typical run-down or rustic place. It is
imbued with Jenna’s love for baking in an almost tangible way. Dawn McKay’s serviceable
costumes complete the picture.

Director Dziura has also pulled together an effective (albeit somewhat uneven) acting ensemble.
Chelsie Nectow is marvelous in the role of Jenna—her beautiful voice and interpretation of this
complicated young woman demands our empathy. Gregory Boover provides a suitable foil in the
role of Dr. Pomatter, the character that teaches Jenna she can love again. Yewande Odetoyinbo is
a terrific singer and strong stage presence as the sassy Becky. And Lyndsay Hart adds a lot of
comic relief in her portrayal of the ditzy Dawn. Earl is played with great authenticity and nuance
by Michael King. King managed to find the soft spots in the otherwise unlikeable self-centered
and threatening character of Jenna’s husband. Equally effective was Mark Dean in the role of
Joe, a local customer at the café who is befriended by Jenna when everyone else finds him too disagreeable. While Nicholas Futris played Ogie in an undeniably over the top manner, that
character didn’t seem written with much depth or dimension. Joshua Mason played the diner
owner, Cal, with great good humor and aplomb. All the members of the ensemble worked
together marvelously to bring great love and gusto to the stage.

As noted at the outset, this offering at the Majestic has considerable charms. However, there is
one big drawback that compromised much of the evening’s enjoyment. Whereas the actors had
excellent diction and tremendous voices, it was extremely difficult to understand the lyrics of the
songs. Whether this was the sound engineering (there seemed to be too little bass), or the quality
of the mikes, or whether the band was too loud, I can’t really say. However, this is a modern
musical, which means almost all the story is told within the songs. So, it was difficult to follow
the story, which means all the hard work was compromised.

It is to be hoped that this problem can be resolved because otherwise, it was a tremendously
entertaining show. The audience was enthusiastic and clearly wants more. As noted in the
Majestic Theater press release, “WAITRESS is a musical that’s very grounded in real life,
offering relatable characters and a compelling storyline. And, of course, there’s pie! Granny’s
Pie Factory in East Hartford will be our pie sponsor for the show, and their terrific pies will be
for sale in our café.”

Credits
Book: Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics: Sara Bareilles
Director: Sue Dziura
Assistant Director: Kyle Boatwright
Choreographer: Sarah Devine
Intimacy Coordinator: Sena Yacteen
Music Director: Elisabeth Weber
Scenic Designer: Josiah Durham
Lighting Designer: Daniel David Rist
Costume Designer: Dawn McKay
Sound Engineer: Ryan Hickey
Cast:
Jenna – Chelsie Nectow*
Dr. Pomater – Gregory Boover*
Becky – Yewande Odetoyinbo*
Dawn – Lyndsay Hart
Ogie – Nicholas Futris
Earl – Michael King
Joe – Mark Dean
Cal – Joshua Mason
Lulu – Josie Dziura, Eleanor “Ellie” Griffin, & Jules Magoffin
Ensemble: Elaine Hom, Caelie Scott Flanagan, Destini Stewart, Carola Astudillo-Fisher, Caleb
Chew, Michael Garcia, Violet Falkowski, Rae Janeil

*Actor’s Equity member
Band:
Music Director/Keyboard – Elizabeth Weber
Guitar – Kyle Langlois
Drums – Ray Dandurand
2nd Keyboard – Cliff Schofer
Bass – Don Rovero
Cello/2 nd Guitar – Ann-Marie Messbauer

Information
WAITRESS runs April 17 through June 1. Tickets to the show range from $35-$38 and can be
purchased in person at the box office or by calling (413) 747-7797.  Box office hours are
Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  
Running time: 2.5 hours with a 20-minute intermission
Majestic Theater, 131 Elm St., West Springfield, MA
Closing date: June 1, 2025
Website: www.majestictheater.com