By:
Sherri Tilley
| Photo by Jeremy DanielLife is messy sometimes ... like sticky-situation, hand-in-the-cookie-jar, egg-on-your-face messy. Likewise, the hit musical Waitress combines a savory assortment of plot-thickening ingredients sprinkled generously with moral controversy and serves it up like a giant piece of humble pie.
Steering away from its standard lineup of family-friendly productions, Dallas Summer Musicals in partnership with Broadway Across America is currently presenting this heavy-hitting, thought-provoking production for a limited two-week engagement at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Featuring an all-female creative team, the show is inspired by Adrienne Shelly's 2007 film with direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus, book by Jessie Nelson, and original music by six-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles.
Laughter-evoking yet simultaneously gut-wrenching, Waitress tells the story of expert pie maker Jenna Hunterson (played by singer-songwriter Desi Oakley) who dreams of a better life far away from her small town and abusively-controlling husband Earl (Nick Bailey). Despite facing unexpected challenges and seemingly-insurmountable roadblocks, the emotionally-distant Jenna is surrounded by a ragtag group of coworkers including the big-bosomed Becky (Charity Angel Dawson), burly short order cook Cal (Ryan G. Dunkin), and sage diner owner Joe (Larry Marshall). Also helping Jenna navigate her rocky road is super-spunky fellow waitress Dawn (Lenne Klingman) who remains desperately dateless until she meets the uber-excited love of her life Ogie (a very Thomas Lennon-like Jeremy Morse) in a surprisingly-jaw-dropping hilariously-show-stopping scene set to the song Never Ever Getting Rid of Me.
Inadvertently looking for love in all the wrong places, Jenna soon finds herself being a little too closely examined by the new-in-town Dr. Pomatter (a Will Forte-ish Bryan Fenkart) and thus wrestles with issues of relational boundaries, devastating disappointments, marriage and mistrust. Far from being a fluffy piece of feel-good entertainment, audiences will likely find a unique opportunity to examine their own personal positions on issues of loyalty, determination, fairness, and forgiveness.
Waitress runs at Dallas Summer Musicals through Sunday, April 8, 2018, with single tickets starting at $20 and a run time of two hours and thirty minutes. Due to its mature themes, adult situations and profane language, this show is recommended for ages 13 and up.
See additional information below or visit:
Dallas Summer Musicals | Waitress
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