Sara Bareilles Makes Her Broadway Songwriting Debut as Waitress Opens

The new Broadway musical Waitress celebrates its opening night tonight, April 24, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Inspired by Adrienne Shelley's 2007 motion picture, Waitress marks the Broadway debut of Grammy-nominated songwriter Sara Bareilles and noted screenwriter and director Jessie Nelson, who pen the show's score and book.

The company is headed by Tony winner Jessie Mueller, alongside Tony nominees Nick Cordero, Keala Settle, and Christopher Fitzgerald, Kimiko Glenn, Drew Gehling, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, Charity Angél Dawson, Jeremy Morse, Stephanie Torns, Thay Floyd, Molly Hager, Aisha Jackson, Ragan Pharris, Ryan Vasquez, Max Kumangai. and Henry Gottfried.

Mueller plays Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker who is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna must weigh her commitments against a rare shot at freedom and recognition.

Waitress premiered in 2015 at American Repertory Theater in Boston. The musical is directed by Diane Paulus, choreographed by Lorin Latarro, and designed by Scott Pask (sets), Suttirat Larlarb (costumes), Christopher Akerlind (lighting), and Jonathan Deans (sound). Nadia DiGiallonardo serves as musical director.

With Bareilles, Nelson, Paulus, and Latarro at the helm, Waitress makes history as the first musical whose traditional four-person creative team is made up entirely of women. An earlier precedent was set by the 1978 Broadway musical Runaways, which had book, score, choreography, and direction solely by Elizabeth Swados.

For tickets and more information, click here.