Waitress: The Musical

One of the best movie versions of a Broadway musical that I've seen in a long time. This musical closely follows the original movie and the music is glorious. I've seen it on stage and seeing it as a movie is just as fabulous as in person. I'm so thankful that they made a movie so that I can watch it any time I feel like. The cast works well together, the ensemble is great, and the band is great. If you're looking for a fun, adult themed musical that keeps your toes tapping, your fingers snapping, and your mouth laughing, I say watch this - it's SO worth it! And after you watch it, try not to buy the original Broadway cast soundtrack!

As a massive fan of the musical and specifically the OBC, I was nervous to hear the pro shot would feature Sara and a couple other replacements. I was pleasantly and happily surprised. Sara and Joe's dynamic, particularly because they are actually together in real life, is unique and breathtaking. The cinematography gave respect to the musical and made the baking scenes seem like a music video but it a good way. Sometimes proshots will include awkward angles or cuts and thankfully, Waitress did not. Some things I appreciated specifically were the added Nurse Norma one-liners that made even me who knows the entire script burst out laughing. Sara's voice who normally sounds too pop-like for me was actually perfect and "She Used to be Mine" made me cry. The dialogue overall felt slower than what it would have been on the stage, particularly Jenna and Earl's scenes, but I got used to it as the movie progressed. Overall, this musical is a joy. It's beautifully crafted and deals with real and raw people. I'm so happy it has an excellent pro shot to go along with it.

Based on an overrated indie movie, Waitress tells the story of a waitress and baker with dreams, a terrible husband, and an unexpected problem. The songs, by star Sara Bareilles, are unusual for a Broadway musical, because they're pretty much Sara Bareilles pop songs, but she's an excellent songwriter and her songs work for both herself and others.

This musical is beautifully staged. This is a filmed stage performance, and often those make you think, this would have been amazing in the theater, but this captures the staging so well that I'm not sure that it would have been better in a theater (probably not with the Broadways seats in my budget).

It's funny, it's touching, the songs and choreography are terrific, the performers are terrific (virtually every significant character gets their own big number), and well, it's just really, really good.

It's also apparently really, really obscure - there are only 6 user reviews as I write this - but it should be better known, so watch it if you have the chance.

An absolute dream. This story is just life in all its beautiful messiness. We've all felt stuck, unworthy, or looking for something more but don't know how to get there. Having been a fan of the movie and the Broadway, to have a pro shot of the production is a dream come true. You feel the heart of the show beating strong during a difficult time when we are all attempting to heal. Every character is brought to life with such vibrancy. It's a story sweet as pie. We're all searching for something more and may we find it as these characters did.

This is a tribute to Adrienne Shelly's film and her memory lives on.

This musical production is essentially the same story in the 2007 movie "Waitress" with Keri Russel. This 'movie' was filmed in a theater with a live audience, and it has all the looks and feel, including moveable sets, of a real stage play.

Sara Bareilles is 40-something Jenna. She is a waitress and pie-baker at the local pie and short order food place. She is married to a real cad. (Incidentally her real-life husband plays her husband here.) They aren't close in any manner but after a night of drinking and frivolity she finds herself pregnant.

Most of the story involves her interactions with her co-workers, her maternity doctor, and her regular customers. It is her journey to come to grips with who she really is and what she wants out of life. Including, a few months later, for her daughter.

Bareilles, who also produced and wrote songs, is really good in the role. All the singing is good, it seems veterans of the stage were in all the roles. Although I had a career as a Scientist, in graduate school I was in a four week, 28-performance musical so watching this brought back good memories. There is something about a stage play, a musical with live singing, that is more personal and more enjoyable than a slick movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. On DVD from my public library. My wife skipped, she isn't a fan of musicals.