BWW Flashback: Charting the Rise of Broadway-Bound Katharine McPhee!

By: Feb. 14, 2018
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As BroadwayWorld reported this morning, Katharine McPhee will soon make her Broadway debut in Waitress, joining the company at the diner beginning April 10th. McPhee follows in the footsteps of Jessie Mueller, Betsy Wolfe, and musical own composer, Sara Bareilles.

Who is Katharine McPhee? We're getting to know the newest Jenna below!

McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters before dropping out to pursue her career.

Soon after, in 2006, she vaulted to fame on "American Idol," Season 5. She eventually finished in second place, after Taylor Hicks.

McPhee's next foray in TV came in 2011, when she starred on NBC's Smash. On the musical series, McPhee played Karen Cartwright, a talented, yet naive performer vying for her turn in the spotlight.

She has made several appearances on the big screen over the years, including roles in The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D.

In between McPhee's film and TV gigs, she has raleased several solo albums. Her latest album of timeless American standards "I Fall in Love Too Easily" was released by BMG in 2017.

She's currently starring in the hit CBS dramatic series Scorpion, airing Mondays at 10/9c.

Next up she'll be strutting her stuff onstage at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre!

WAITRESS tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow Waitresses offer their own recipes Waitress to happiness. But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life. This musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.

WAITRESS opened April 24, 2016 at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Based upon the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by six-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.


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