Entertainment

Hit Broadway musical Waitress set for West End debut

The show will boast an all-female creative team.
The show will boast an all-female creative team. The show will boast an all-female creative team.

Broadway show Waitress is coming to the West End in a “dream come true” for songwriter Sara Bareilles.

The tale of an American pie-maker locked in a loveless marriage has proved a box-office and critical hit during its three-year New York run.

Now the musical, inspired by a 2007 film of the same name, is coming to London for the first time and will bring with it an all-female creative team in a West End musical first.

Singer and songwriter Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics, has said she “cannot contain her excitement” ahead of the UK debut at the Adelphi Theatre in February 2019.

Waitress musical
Waitress musical The original Broadway production of Waitress (Joan Marcus/PA) (Joan Marcus)

Following the story of frustrated small-town waitress Jenna, the musical charts her struggles with her marriage and a pie-making contest.

Bareilles said: “I cannot contain my excitement that we will be bringing Waitress to the West End. This is a dream come true.

“We are so proud of this beautiful show, and can’t wait to share the story of Jenna with a whole new audience and welcome them into the world of Waitress with open arms and plenty of pie.”

Based on the film penned by Adrienne Shelly, the upcoming West End show will feature choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who co-owns the Adelphi Theatre with the Nederlander Group, said: “I am a massive fan of Sara Bareilles both as a writer and a performer.

Andrew Lloyd Webber turns 70
Andrew Lloyd Webber turns 70 Andrew Lloyd Webber has welcomed the upcoming show (David Parry/PA)

“I’m thrilled that she has earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as Mary Magdalene in NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live earlier this year, and absolutely delighted that Waitress is to be seen in the West End.”