Waitress @ The Brooks Atkinson Theater

If someone were to tell you there is a place in the city that you can hear killer new music and experience every emotion known to man all the while smelling warm pie wafting through the air, you’d think we're was crazy, right?

Look no further, folks: WAITRESS IS HERE.

The crown jewel of Broadway just arrived at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and audiences couldn’t be more excited (hence their hashtag #worththewaitress)

The story of Waitress is beautifully simplistic: Our heroine marries the wrong guy.  He gets her pregnant. She has an affair with her ob-Gyn. She has the baby and leaves them both. Did I mention she makes pies?

Jessie Mueller took on the role of Jenna (originated by Keri Russell in the 2007 movie) with grace, humanity and ingenuity. Her Jenna was completely different than her predecessor and it left the audience so blissfully connected, you could find them audibly weeping when struggles came afoot. Mueller’s voice filled Sarah Bareilles’s iconic style absolutely perfectly, and her connection to the words- be it playful phrases or palpable pathos- was just an absolute treat.

Her sidekicks Kimiko Glenn and Keala Settle were perfect juxtapositions to Mueller’s Jenna that you couldn’t help but smile and laugh when the three were together at Joe’s Pie Diner. Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter simply stole your heart and served as an amazing hero to Jenna’s tragic tale.

Diane Paulus did wonders staging this beautiful show. Every bit of Jenna’s “out of body” thoughts were physicalized by the ensemble; be it handing her all the ingredients to her hilarious pies or simply going through contractions all together. The fluidity of their movement was flawless and propelled the piece forward. Time simply flew in that theatre. Scott Pask’s set design flipping from Joe’s Pie Diner to the Ob-Gyn’s was so much fun to watch and mirrored the fluidity of the staged movement. Christopher Akerlind’s lighting design is much to be commended for as well. Akerlind captured the color of thought and whimsy as well as absolute sadness in all of Jenna’s thoughts, which provided so much depth to what you were seeing and feeling.
 

So what are you waiting for? Go now to the Brooks Atkinson and see for yourself! But don't have dessert with your meal that evening- you can buy a pie at the door!

Review By: Brittany Goodwin

Photos By: Joan Marcus

2014 Tony Awards

Best Musical

*A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

After Midnight

Aladdin

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
*Jessie Mueller, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster, Violet
Idina Menzel, If/Then
Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County

Best Revival of a Musical
*Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Les Misérables

Violet

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
*Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo, Les Misérables
Andy Karl, Rocky
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Bryce Pinkham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Revival of a Play

*A Raisin in the Sun

The Cripple of Inishmaan

The Glass Menagerie

Twelfth Night

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
*Kevin Adams, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Christopher Akerlind, Rocky
Howell Binkley, After Midnight
Donald Holder, The Bridges of Madison County

Best Lighting Design of a Play
*Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie
Paule Constable, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jane Cox, Machinal
Japhy Weideman, Of Mice and Men

Best Play

*All The Way

Act One 

Casa Valentina 

Mothers and Sons

Outside Mullingar

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
*Bryan Cranston, All The Way
Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night
Chris O'Dowd, Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Tony Shalhoub, Act One

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
*Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn

Best Costume Design of a Play
*Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night
Jane Greenwood, Act One
Michael Krass, Machinal
Rita Ryack, Casa Valentina

Best Costume Design of a Musical
*Linda Cho, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway
Arianne Phillips, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Isabel Toledo, After Midnight

Best Choreography
*Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Steven Hoggett and Kelly Devine, Rocky
Casey Nicholaw, Aladdin 
Susan Stroman, Bullets Over Broadway

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
*Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun
Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
*James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Danny Burstein, Cabaret
Nick Cordero, Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry, Violet
Jarrod Spector, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Best Direction of a Play
*Kenny Leon, A Raisin in the Sun
Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, The Cripple of Inishmaan
John Tiffany, The Glass Menagerie

Best Direction of a Musical
*Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Warren Carlyle, After Midnight
Michael Mayer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman, Violet

Best Book of a Musical
*Robert L Freedman, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Chad Beguelin, Aladdin
Douglas McGrath, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Woody Allen, Bullets Over Broadway

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
*Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Linda Emond, Cabaret
Anika Larsen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox, After Midnight
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
*Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Reed Birney, Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
*Christopher Barreca, Rocky
Julian Crouch, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Alexander Dodge, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Santo Loquasto, Bullets Over Broadway

Best Scenic Design of a Play
*Beowulf Boritt, Act One
Bob Crowley, The Glass Menagerie
Es Devlin, Machinal
Christopher Oram, The Cripple of Inishmaan

Best Orchestrations
*Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Doug Besterman, Bullets Over Broadway
Steve Sidwell, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Jonathan Tunick, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
*The Bridges of Madison County
Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Aladdin
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Music: Steven Lutvak
Lyrics: Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak
If/Then
Music: Tom Kitt
Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

Best Sound Design of a Play
*Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
Alex Baranowski, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Dan Moses Schreier, Act One
Matt Tierney, Machinal

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, After Midnight
Tim O'Heir, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Mick Potter, Les Misérables
*Brian Ronan, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Jane Greenwood

Regional Theatre Award
Signature Theatre, New York, N.Y.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Rosie O’Donnell

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Joseph P. Benincasa
Joan Marcus
Charlotte Wilcox

Please Vist Playbill.com & Broadway.com for a complete list of winners from some of Broadway's other leading awards - including The Drama Desk Awards, Critics' Circle Awards, and more . . .

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Bio-musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the story of the life and career of legendary singer-songwriter Carole King leading up to the release of her groundbreaking album Tapestry. Having been raised by a divorced mother, Carole (then) Klein entered college at age 16 to study for a teaching degree. However, a talent for music brought her to the Brill Building where she sold her first song and began a renowned career. After meeting and quickly falling for writer Gerry Goffin, the two teamed up to write some of the 1960's most famous songs, including "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Take Good Care of my Baby," and "The Locomotion." Their relationship progressed quickly; Carole soon found out she was pregnant and married Gerry at only 17 years old. As the pair's careers went steadily uphill, the romance began to falter. Gerry's adulterous ways and wavering mental health often left Carole alone with their two daughters. After divorcing Gerry in 1968, Carole used experience to inspired the songs that she went on to perform herself for the album Tapestry, which became the greatest selling album of all time, and earned four Grammy awards.

Onstage, King's life makes for the perfect jukebox-musical. Each song is more lively and colorful than the last. Derek McLane's scenic design is always moving, transforming from a Brooklyn apartment, to the offices and recording studios of the Brill Building, to the set of a Variety show. As each new song is written, the world changes into a colorful and energetic concert. With Peter Kaczorowski's rich light design, Alejo Vietti's versitile costume design, the production became an experience. Most notably, Josh Prince's choreography took the familiar, yet simple, steps of the 60's pop groups and put a fresh, modern spin on it.

As Carole King, Jessie Mueller is the "Natural Woman" for the role (pardon the pun). The quality of Mueller's voice matches King's distinct rasp so well you'd think it was the singer herself. She leads the production with an earnest humility that truly conveys the pain and strength of King. Jake Epstein, as Gerry Goffin, faded in and out onstage. Despite his smooth vocals, he clearly was not able to not quite keep up with the rest of the main cast.

There will always be a niche market for musicals such as these, the kind that can remind audiences of the memories of younger years associated with the already famous music. There wasn't a single song that didn't elicit murmurs of "Such a great song!" and humming along from the audience. Curtain call brought the entire audience to its feet, clapping and singing along with "I Feel the Earth Move." This is definitely the show you take your parents to when they're in town, and may even give Jersey Boys a run for its money in terms of popularity. Beautiful truly lives up to its name, and is a sight for all generations to enjoy.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, opened January 12 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. 

Photos By:  Joan Marcus
Review By: Kelcie Kosberg