“A hard-hitting musical that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster”
Hit musical “Waitress” returns for another tour to celebrate its 10th anniversary, this time with musical theatre favourite Carrie Hope Fletcher in the lead role as Jenna. Featuring music from Sara Bareilles and based on the film by Adrienne Shelly, the musical follows Jenna as she discovers she is pregnant, and must decide whether to remain with abusive husband Earl (Mark Willshire) or find the courage to leave him. Dealing with difficult themes, the musical can feel pretty heavy at times – thankfully, there are plenty of more light-hearted moments thrown in there, thanks to some comical side characters and a truly endearing performance from Les Dennis as Old Joe. Having said that, there are moments in this musical that lack atmosphere, and some of the emotional highpoints don’t quite hit as one might hope.
Fletcher is nothing short of phenomenal, crafting a character that is instantly believable and giving a performance that shines thanks to its subtleties. Jenna finds immense pleasure in baking, helping her forget her problems for a while, and various pie recipes are used as metaphors for her feelings throughout, each with interesting, unique names that match Jenna’s current emotional state. These moments allow us to glimpse a happier, more confident Jenna – a persona that immediately vanishes in the presence of husband Earl, at which point Fletcher portrays just the right mix of disgust and fear. In the vast space of the Royal Concert Hall, it is Fletcher’s reactions that make this relationship feel claustrophobic, especially when Willshire performs song “You Will Still Be Mine”, a heartfelt message with an underlying threat, and we cannot take our eyes from Fletcher’s resigned reaction – there is a sense of giving up, and it is easy to understand why.
Some happiness arrives for Jenna in the form of gynaecologist Dr Pomatter (Dan Partridge), who she begins an affair with. Partridge is wonderfully goofy, various ad libs and asides giving him some welcome comedic moments, yet there is also something a little standoffish in his nature, which is perhaps intentional – whilst offering Jenna a brief respite from her difficult home life, Dr Pomatter is, after all, cheating on his wife, so it is only right that we don’t immediately trust him. The chemistry between Fletcher and Partridge is not as strong as one might hope – their early number together “It Only Takes A Taste” doesn’t feel quite genuine – but again, this could be the intention of resident director Nikki Davies-Jones, to highlight the way in which Jenna views Pomatter with rose-tinted spectacles, despite him not quite being the right man for her.
Along the way, we are treated to storylines for Jenna’s two colleagues Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Dawn (Evie Hoskins). Due to her husband’s illness, Becky is now forced to care for him and her story sees her questioning what it means to love someone, and how that love has changed as she has got older. It is an interesting storyline to run in parallel with Jenna’s, and they connect nicely together in the second act with Marvin’s song “I Didn’t Plan It”. Dawn is at the other end of the relationship spectrum, signing up to a dating site to try to find a man (the production shows its age slightly with the way in which the characters discuss online dating). Dawn’s song “When He Sees Me” is an excellent exploration of her insecurities, yet Hoskins tends to lean into dorky stereotypes (there is the tired trope of Dawn becoming “beautiful” by simply taking off her glasses) which prevents this number from carrying the emotional weight that it could.
When Dawn meets Ogie (Mark Anderson), it is obvious to everyone that they are meant for each other, but Dawn’s fear of commitment means she tries to push Ogie away. This leads to a song that feels incredibly distasteful given the subject matter covered elsewhere in this production, as Ogie performs “Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me”. It is meant to be a comedy piece, but taking the lyrics at face value reduces Ogie to a character who simply ignores Dawn’s wishes and instead refuses to leave her alone, following her to work and promising to remain there until she agrees to a second date with him. It is meant to make Dawn realise that she is desirable after all, but coming so soon after Earl’s declaration that he will never let Jenna leave him, it just all feels a little uncomfortable – one can imagine a situation where Ogie turns out to be similar to Earl, but instead we are meant to be charmed by this behaviour, and the messages given by the show feel a bit confusing.
The highlight of the show is undoubtedly “She Used To Be Mine”, which is a powerhouse performance from Fletcher in which she brings emotional weight without having to resort to shouting. I have made no secret of the fact that this is my favourite musical song ever, and Fletcher certainly does not disappoint. The production has realised this is the true emotional climax of the musical, with the stage left bare and the music swelling accordingly. Yet, whilst this performance is sure to leave you speechless, there are other moments in this production that will leave you feeling rather empty – Dennis’ performance of “Take It From An Old Man” feels a little shaky and uncertain, whilst the decision to not cast the character of Lulu for the final scene means that the ending doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch that has been present in previous tours.
For newcomers to the musical, this show will likely be a delight and a joy – mainly thanks to Bareilles’ lyrics which carry some beautiful messages whether you’re hearing them for the first or the hundredth time. Viewers who have seen previous renditions of this show might find this version a little lacking, and one cannot help but feel that, given the intimate, emotional storylines, the musical would play better in the Theatre Royal rather than the Royal Concert Hall. Needless to say, ten years on, “Waitress” still holds an important place in musical theatre, and this new tour remains timely and easy to connect with. A hard-hitting musical that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, but never quite reaches the highs that we have become accustomed to.
Tom Morley, August 2026
Review Round-up:
The Theatre Flyer: Waitress – 5* from Theatre Flyer, who say this is a “perfectly baked production — rich in heart and impossible to resist”
JADAR: Waitress – 4* from JADAR, who says the story leans too far into “audience satisfaction instead of battling some of the inherent stereotypes in the original script”
Elemental Theatre: Waitress – 3* from Elemental Theatre, with reviewer Thomas Levi saying “this tour doesn’t consistently deliver the theatrical electricity that has made this show one of [his] repeat-viewing favourites”
