BWW Blog: Waitress On Tour Review
I had the pleasure of seeing Waitress on its North American tour this past weekend at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California. I was truly blown away by all aspects of the performance. It had me smiling and laughing throughout, and maybe even shedding a tear or two at times. To be completely honest, I didn't know what to expect going into seeing it. I was familiar with the basic plot line and a couple popular songs that have came on my shuffled Spotify playlists, but Waitress wasn't a musical that I've thoroughly dove into before buying tickets to see it.
It started with a funny prerecorded jingle about turning off your cell phones and then dives straight into the opening number "What's Inside". One of the most impressive technical aspects that is easily noticeable from the beginning is how smoothly the set pieces were moved on and off stage. I also enjoyed the live band on stage the entire show, it was a nice change from an orchestra pit. The lighting design was incredible; from the psych lit from the back the entire show, to the repetitive purple wash with a spotlight on Jenna for the iconic "sugar, butter, flour" pie recipe moments. The use of color and specials really set the tone for the entire production. The costumes were clear and concise to easily identify the characters and what they were supposed to be doing at a certain time of day.
The casting was absolutely perfect for the tour. It reminded me of the original broadway cast so much, I feel like the roles were made for these specific actors. Bailey McCall's performance as Jenna has been one of my favorites ever done. She owned every part of her role and really drew in the entire audience to believing Jenna's story. The talent of every cast member shown through for an incredible performance. One of the biggest stand out musical numbers was "Bad Idea". The energy the band put in throughout the entire song mixed with the amazing vocals and choreography made it an unforgettable number. We can't go without mentioning McCall's rendition of "She Used To Be Mine"...CHILLS EVERYWHERE. Waitress has an amazing soundtrack and seeing it live versus having it on repeat on my Spotify has no comparison. I'm still talking about how amazing this show was days later.
I was truly blown away with all aspects of this performance and I would pay to see it a million more times. It's funny, heartwarming, emotional, and all things good mixed together and baked into your favorite pie. With dates going well into 2020 it's worth catching when Waitress stops in a city near you. Get your tickets at https://waitresstour.com now!
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