Waitress - differences between Broadway / touring / West End productions

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 1:40pm

So I was reading this recent Mark Shenton interview with Diane Paulus about bringing Waitress to the West End, and she said there’s a change she made to the London show that she’s now going to implement in Broadway, 3 years later. Curious for anyone who has seen the show on Broadway in the last few weeks if they’ve noticed a production change? 

https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/interviews/2019/waitress-director-diane-paulus-doing-a-new-musical-is-not-brain-surgery-but-it-feels-close-to-it/

I’ve seen the West End production now a couple of times already, and I must say, it really is a fab production. The casting is amazing, Kat McPhee’s voice is insanely good right now, and it all seems shiny and new! So any Waitress fans making a trip to London anytime soon, I’d recommend a visit! 

The biggest change I’ve noticed with the West End production, compared to on Broadway (which I’ve seen a few times) is that in the She Used To Be Mine climax they have the entire set, including the sofa, move off stage, leaving only the screen behind and Jenna standing alone on stage, which is a really cool aesthetic, and gives a much more emotional impact I think. I believe they do this with the touring production also?

Also, Jack McBrayer has changed up his  “Never Getting Rid of You” routine quite a lot also. Warning - he’s pretty funny but his singing is non-existent! The audience didn’t seem to mind though.

Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the West End audiences seem really into the humour of the show (especially the dirty bits lol), even moreso than on Broadway I think! 

 

Updated On: 3/19/19 at 01:40 PM

[alex814]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 7:38pm

WestEndGal said: "The biggest change I’veÂnoticed with the West EndÂproduction, compared to on Broadway (which I’ve seen a few times) is that in theShe Used To Be Mineclimax they have the entire set, including the sofa, move off stage, leaving only the screen behind and Jenna standing alone on stage, which is a really cool aesthetic, and gives a much more emotional impact I think. I believe they do this with the touring productionÂalso?"

I saw show only once, back when Sara and Gavin were in it. It's not fresh in my mind but I think I recall seeing the set move off stage during the song. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 8:05pm

alex814 said: "WestEndGal said: "The biggest change I’veÂnoticed with the West EndÂproduction, compared to on Broadway (which I’ve seen a few times) is that in theShe Used To Be Mineclimax they have the entire set, including the sofa, move off stage, leaving only the screen behind and Jenna standing alone on stage, which is a really cool aesthetic, and gives a much more emotional impact I think. I believe they do this with the touring productionÂalso?"

I saw show only once, back when Sara and Gavin were in it. It's not fresh in my mind but I think I recall seeing the set move off stage during the song."

Yeah the set has always moved off stage, other than the sofa. But in the West End production (and I think maybe the tour too?) the sofa moves off too. It’s a small change but I think makes the climax of SUTBM even more impactful! So I was wondering if they’ve implemented this change now for the Broadway production also, although I guess it depends on the technical aspects of the production and staging as to whether this is possible.

 

 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 9:22pm

The set including the sofa moves off on both the tour and Broadway. If it wouldn't the girls in the contraction ballet would smack into it.

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 9:36pm

mailhandler777 said: "The set including the sofa moves off on both the tour and Broadway. If it wouldn't the girls in the contraction ballet would smack into it."

No, the sofa doesn't move off stage for the Broadway production! Or at least it never used to, but like I say they may have changed that up recently. 

[sppunk]

Posted: 3/19/19 at 9:53pm

We saw Waitress Friday again. Sofa didn’t move. 

[jbird5]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 7:13am

I read in one review that Dawn was a Civil War fanatic. Did they make a change for English audiences? You know, the whole “The British are coming” bit.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 7:35am

jbird5 said: "I read in one review that Dawn was a Civil War fanatic. Did they make a change for English audiences? You know, the whole “The British are coming” bit."

"The British are coming" bit said by Ogie has always been in the Broadway production. It is said at the end of "Bad Idea (Reprise)" as he and Dawn go offstage. 

[jbird5]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 8:56am

magictodo123 said: "jbird5 said: "I read in one review that Dawn was a Civil War fanatic. Did they make a change for English audiences? You know, the whole “The British are coming” bit."

"The British are coming" bit said by Ogie has always been in the Broadway production. It is said at the end of "Bad Idea (Reprise)" as he and Dawn go offstage."

Yes, but I was asking about the West End production.  I don’t think they (the Brits) look back as fondly on our “Revolution” as we do.  They do seem to have a fascination with our Civil War though.

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 3/20/19 at 9:23am

jbird5 said: "magictodo123 said: "jbird5 said: "I read in one review that Dawn was a Civil War fanatic. Did they make a change for English audiences? You know, the whole “The British are coming” bit."

"The British are coming" bit said by Ogie has always been in the Broadway production. It is said at the end of "Bad Idea (Reprise)" as he and Dawn go offstage."

Yes, but I was asking about the West End production. I don’t think they (the Brits) look back as fondly on our “Revolution” as we do. They do seem to have a fascination with our Civil War though."

Haha no they’ve kept the “the British are coming” line in, and it’s one of the lines that gets the most laughs, lol! 

Before “Soft Place To Line” they’ve changed Europe and New Jersey to Paris and Liverpool!