Interview: Amanda Handegan of WAITRESS at Nederlander Theatre

Order up! Waitress is stopping by the James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago as part of its 10th Anniversary Tour from October 13-18, 2026. 

BroadwayWorld spoke with Chicago-based ensemble member Amanda Handegan about her first national tour, the significance of Waitress ten years later, and pie!  

The interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

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This Waitress tour is your Broadway and national tour debut! What’s it been like so far? 

It's been amazing. It’s definitely a brand new experience. I did a small tribute concert tour, so I had a tiny glimpse into the tour world before this, but it's been really fun. It's been awesome to travel to all these different places and the theater community is so small and connected. I have little invisible strings of all my friends’ hometowns that I've been going to and getting recommendations everywhere we go and it's been really special and fun. 

You went to Millikin University in Decatur, IL, and then you moved to Chicago where your storefront acting credits include the Theo, Music Theater Works, and Mercury Theater. I’d love to hear more about your time and experience in Chicago and what it’s been like to be part of the storefront scene here before going on this tour. 

I am so proud and honored to be based in Chicago. I've lived there for 4 years now and I love it so much. I love the Chicago theater community, there's honestly nothing like it. To perform at the Nederlander is a dream. I'm so glad that we're going to be there soon and that we're going to be there for a while too. We're there October 13th through the 18th, and I'm very excited to be back. 

What is your relationship to Waitress, and what does it mean to be part of the 10th Anniversary Tour? 

Where do I begin? There's so many connections for me personally. Waitress is based on the 2007 film written by Adrienne Shelly, and my mom had that on DVD. I grew up watching it with my cousin. Waitress has always been around for me and it's my favorite musical. It’s the first musical I saw on Broadway with my mom. We held hands and cried the entire time we watched it. I am obsessed with this musical, I'm obsessed with Sara Bareilles. It is my dream show, so I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of it. I think it's a very beautiful story, and I'm very fortunate to be telling it. 

Like you mentioned, Waitress is based on the 2007 film and the musical premiered on Broadway in 2016. What do you think has changed since Waitress’s stage debut in 2016, and what makes this 10th Anniversary Tour show different? 

I think Waitress is timeless and the story is so honest and rooted in truthfulness. I grew up in Kentucky, so I also grew up in a small town vibe similar to Waitress. The story that we're telling is rooted in realness and it's about real people. I have people in my life who resemble so many of the characters in this show. As much as things have changed since it's opened, I think the story still remains as true and important as it ever was. It's just special to be doing it with a whole new group of people.

The show is about the deep bonds of friendship and sisterhood to get us through hard times. Waitress also made Broadway history with the first all-female creative team. What does it mean to be part of this production and national tour that not only celebrates women’s stories onstage but also empowers women behind the scenes? 

It’s so special. This is my first time being a part of a project where the entire creative team is women-led — the book, the writer, the composer, the choreographer, the director. When I did Legally Blonde at Music Theater Works, we had pretty much a full creative team, but the book and the composer is not fully led by women. So that's super special, I'm completely honored to be a part of something like that. I'm very fortunate to be telling it with a community of artists who are taking really good care of each other as well and taking really good care of the script. Sisterhood is everything. Community is everything. I fully support and am honored to be a part of that message. 

What’s been your favorite memory of this tour so far?

We actually started in Owensboro, Kentucky. I’m not from Owensboro, but a town very similar, and my entire family came. My best friends from high school came, so that was really special and fun, and I'm really excited to be in Chicago too. I have tons of friends who are going to be there, my coworkers are coming, so I'm just excited to celebrate with everyone and share this experience with everyone. I'm feeling very supported and loved along the journey so far. 

What do you hope people take away from Waitress after they see it?

I hope that they feel inspired, I hope that they feel connected to the ones they love, and I hope they feel empowered. It's such a heartfelt story and I hope they laugh. I hope they cackle out loud. Everyone I know who has seen the show so far has said they loved it and that they can't stop laughing. As much as it is a touching and heartfelt story, it's also hilarious. So I hope they come and they have an escape for a couple hours and laugh hard and cry hard and leave feeling inspired. 

You probably get this question a lot being in Waitress, but I have to ask — what's your favorite kind of pie?

Oh my gosh. I love this question, actually. My favorite kind of pie is my grandma's pecan pie or her chocolate pudding pie. My grandma is literally incredible and during Thanksgiving, she makes like eight pies. So I am a big fan of pie. any kind of pie I will have.

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Thank you to Amanda Handegan and Broadway in Chicago for this interview!