"Waitress" - by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles - Majestic Theater (West Springfield, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Chelsea Nectow as “Jenna,” Lyndsay Hart as “Dawn” and Yewande Odetoyinbo as “Becky” in a pivotal moment from "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“So with flour on my hands, I'll show them all how Goddamn happy I am..."
- ("Jenna") / Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles
The Majestic Theater
Presents the Hit Broadway Musical
"WAITRESS"
Written by Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Stage Director and Majestic Theater Associate Producer Sue Dziura
Music Director Elisabeth Weber
Choreographer Sarah Devine
Producing Director Danny Eaton
Cast Includes: Chelsea Nectow* as “Jenna,” Gregory Boover* as “Dr. Pomatter,” Yewande Odetoyinbo* as “Becky,” Lyndsay Hart as “Dawn,” Nicholas Futris as “Ogie,” Michael King as “Earl,” Mark Dean as “Joe,” Joshua Mason as “Cal," Josie Dziura, Eleanor "Ellie" Griffin and Jules Magoffin as "Lulu."
Ensemble: Elaine Hom ("Nurse Norma"), Caelie Scott Flanagan (u/s "Jenna"), Destini Stewart (u/s "Becky"), Carla Astudillo-Fisher (u/s "Dawn"), Caleb Chew (u/s "Earl/Cal"), Michael Garcia (u/s "Dr. Pomatter"), Violet Falkowski (u/s "Ogie"), Rae Janeil (u/s Female Ensemble).
Additional Creative Team:
Assistant Director - Kyle Boatright; Production Manager/Stage Manager - Stephen Petit*; Associate Production Manager - Aurora Ferraro; Assistant Stage Manager - Alexandra O'Halloran*; Scenic Design - Josiah Durham; Lighting Design - Daniel Rist; Costume Design - Dawn McKay; Intimacy Coordinator - Sena Yacteen; Sound Engineer - Ryan Hickey; Technical Director - Alan Schneider; Assistant Technical Director - Kevin Tracy; Wardrobe Mistress - Christine Thompson; COVID Compliance Officer - Carol Rucinski.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Performances:
April 17, 2025 through June 1, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
MAJESTIC THEATER, 131 Elm Street, West Springfield, MA. 01089
TICKETS:
For tickets and more information, contact the MAJESTIC THEATER box office by phone at # 413-747-7797 or visit www.majestictheater.com
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
Sugar, butter, flour…”
The above ingredients are used in making a pie.
What ingredients are needed when trying to make a life for oneself?
That is really the question asked in the story of "WAITRESS" - which concludes The Majestic Theater's current 2024-2025 season and it is, in a word, a tasty morsel of a musical.
The production is a delight from start to finish and a great way to conclude what has been a fabulous season for The Majestic.
A charming, light-hearted, “feel-good/tastes great” show, "WAITRESS" is based upon the 2007 movie of the same name, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly.
The book for the musical was written by Jessie Nelson with music and lyrics provided by Sara Bareilles.
"WAITRESS" originally began with a tryout at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. in 2015, before moving to Broadway in 2016.
By the time the production closed in January, 2020 (prior to the pandemic shutdown) "WAITRESS" had completed 33 previews and a whopping 1,544 regular performances.
Among its many accolades, the original 2016 run of "WAITRESS" would receive nominations for four Outer Critics Circle Awards (winning one for Featured Actor Christopher Fitzgerald), six Drama Desk Awards (winning one again for Fitzgerald) and four Tony Awards.
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
As the lyrics point out from the show’s opener:
“My whole life is in here, in this kitchen baking, what a mess I'm making”
From the above, there is a clear indication that the “kitchen” is the world in which lives our protagonist, Jenna (Chelsea Nectow), a "WAITRESS."
Nectow is superb throughout the show, on stage for most of it and dominating in nearly every scene and musical number in which featured.
Jenna bakes - and what she “bakes” in this story will either be her success or downfall.
There seems to be something missing from Jenna’s life, something that makes her feel less complete or, if you will allow, “half-baked.”
But is the missing ‘ingredient’ a man?
A “good” man?
If so, the “good man” is certainly not the man she married.
Her abusive husband, Earl (Michael King), is furious over her pregnancy and can never seem to hold down a job or control his temper.
King is fine in the role but, as an actor, is given absolutely nothing by the writers to work with as Earl is truly a one-dimensional redneck stereotype.
The biggest clue to the above being his name is “Earl” which will automatically get one to either recall the television redneck themed series “My Name is Earl” or the Chicks’ 90s hit song, “Goodbye Earl” (also, quite coincidentally, about a redneck wife-beating crud).
If Earl is not what Jenna (nor anybody) needs, then could she possibly find life fulfillment with the very charming (but very married) OB/GYN, Dr. Pomatter (Gregory Boover), who has reciprocal feelings for her?
Boover is both charismatic with a quirky nervous energy on stage.
Boover is also a fine vocalist with numerous inspired scenes opposite Nectow, including their duets on “It Only Takes a Taste” and “Bad Idea.”
Perhaps, just perhaps, there is something, some ‘ingredient,’ within Jenna herself for which she has yet to discover and can bring her that sense of fulfillment she currently lacks.
Continuing with the baking metaphor, "WAITRESS" is a dessert spread of talent, to be sure, from a solid cast and engaging ensemble, to a fine band led by the show's Music Director Elisabeth Weber on keyboard.
(Photo: Chelsea Nectow starring as "Jenna" in the musical "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
With the expert staging by Sue Dziura, The Majestic Theater production moves along quite seamlessly.
The diner in which the engaging "WAITRESS" takes place includes Jenna’s fabulously baked pies as part of the menu and it is a gorgeous set design.
Jenna's co-workers are fellow "WAITRESSES" Becky (Yewande Odetoyinbo) and Dawn (Lyndsay Hart) who, like Jenna, face similar sub-plot challenges.
Odetoyinbo and Hart offer a perfect blend of harmonies to Nectow and are both funny and flawless as supporting characters.
The trio, as constructed by the writers, offers comparison to a kind of "Spock-McCoy-Kirk" balance:
Dawn, the "Spock" of the trio, tends to be the more cerebral (okay "nerdy"), lacking in basic social skills - while Becky is closer to "McCoy," being the one whose is more outgoing and with a more basic earthy common sense (with one notable exception as we find out later).
That leaves Jenna serving in the "Kirk" role - borrowing the above "ingredients" from both her friends to try and come up with a solution to her very big (and getting bigger by the day) "dilemma."
Each of the supporting duo also gets their moment vocally to shine: Odetoyinbo with the Act Two belter, “I Didn’t Plan It” and Hart with the more humorous, “When He Sees Me” in the show's first act.
Playing opposite Hart, but a joy in every scene he is in, is Nicholas Futris as the uncontrolled ball of energy that is Dawn’s love interest, "Ogie."
Ogie first attempts to woo Dawn in the song, “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” and then, later, continues to profess his love to her in the hysterically funny, “I Love You Like a Table.”
Futris is absolutely hilarious in nearly every scene in which he appears.
Costuming for the above numbers and throughout the show was meticulous as were the added technical elements of a plethora of lighting and sound cues, all expertly executed.
(Photo: Mark Dean as “Joe” with Chelsea Nectow as “Jenna” in a scene from the musical "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
It cannot be overemphasized as to how critical the ensemble is to the story.
Every moment the ensemble is on stage they are not simply serving as incidental background characters.
They serve as Greek Chorus, ghosts and spirits of the past, as stage crew, and as an ongoing internal reflection of Jenna's overall journey as externalized on stage.
There is no wasted movement in "WAITRESS," either, as every single staged movement by Dziura and choreographer Sarah Devine is done for a specific purpose and performed with acute precision.
Mark Dean gives a memorable performance as the elder diner patron “Joe” who connects with Jenna as both mentor and friend and who touches at our heartstrings in Act Two with his heartfelt approach to the song, “Take It From An Old Man.”
(Photo: Lyndsay Hart as “Dawn” with Nicholas Futris as “Ogie,” in a scene from the musical "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
While at times a bit “cheesy”, the book for "WAITRESS," as written by Nelson, offers no simplified, wholesome romantic sit-com story or ending.
The musical, instead, is a straightforward “slice of life” presentation of a battered, married and pregnant woman trying to survive her working-class life.
What enhances the subject matter, making it more palatable (pun intended), is the vibrant, easygoing score provided by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and the performance by Majestic Theater's lead Nectow.
As Jenna, Nectow provides an understated yet controlled performance throughout the show as Jenna, who seems to have a grasp on many things…except her own life.
Nectow's vocal prowess shines in numbers such as “What Baking Can Do,” but then Nectow brings home the show’s stirring climactic musical number (and fan favorite), “She Used to Be Mine” which resulted in a well-earned extended applause from the audience at the April 24th performance.
Throughout the remainder of the show, there were a few occasional microphone pops and a couple of vocal harmonies that didn't always land as intended, but nothing that would take away from the overall enjoyment this "WAITRESS" serves up.
(Photo: Chelsea Nectow as “Jenna,” Lyndsay Hart as “Dawn” and Yewande Odetoyinbo as “Becky” in a pivotal moment from "WAITRESS" by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles, now playing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, MA. through June 1, 2025. Photo Credit Kait Rankins)
The musical "WAITRESS" continues at The Majestic Theater in West Springfield through June 1st, 2025, and is one scrumptious dessert you don't want to pass up.
The Majestic Theater also announces its lineup for the 2025-2026 season which consists of three wonderful plays bookended by two fabulous musicals:
- “ONCE” by Edna Walsh, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová runs from September 4, 2025 through October 19, 2025;
- Robert Harling’s classic “STEEL MAGNOLIAS” runs from October 23, 2025 through November 30, 2025;
- The inventive and hilarious “THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES” by Steven Canny and John Nicholson runs from January 8, 2026 through February 15, 2026;
- Ken Ludwig’s “DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE” which runs from February 26, 2026 through April 4, 2026, and, finally;
- “COME FROM AWAY” by Irene Sankoff and David Hein will conclude the season, running from April 16, 2026 through May 31, 2026.
For tickets and more information, contact the Majestic Theater box office by phone at # 413-747-7797 or visit www.majestictheater.com
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
This Broadway hit musical, based on the 2007 indie film of the same name, introduces the audience to Jenna, a waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner in the American South.
Growing up, she learned to bake from her mother, who had a pie recipe for just about every life situation.
As an adult, baking becomes more than just a vocation; it is her greatest joy and the best medicine for dealing with her dysfunctional marriage and the disappointments of her small-town life.
With a Tony-award nominated score by Sara Bareilles, "WAITRESS" features an eclectic cast of characters who bring this hopeful story to life and take us on a journey full of new love, new life, and finding out just what a little sugar, butter and flour can do!
ABOUT THE MAJESTIC THEATER
Locally-produced professional live theater since 1997. Before it was a live theater, local residents may remember THE MAJESTIC THEATER as a movie house. It has since been renovated and reimagined to bring live performances to the West Springfield area, giving local performance and technical artists the opportunity to thrive. Every season at THE MAJESTIC consists of five productions (including at least one musical) featuring local actors. In addition to the subscription season, the summer includes children's theater, concerts, plays, open mic nights, and improvisational comedy shows. Recently named the best place to see live theater in the Pioneer Valley in the Valley Advocate Readers' Poll, THE MAJESTIC THEATER continues to offer great theater thanks to the support and generosity of its 4200+ subscribers.
131 Elm Street
West Springfield, MA. 01089
# 413-747-7797
