When I first saw Waitress on Broadway, I didn’t get to finish seeing the entire show — and at the time, it wasn’t a show I came in totally in love with. Over the pandemic, Sara Bareilles’ score became one I loved listening to for comfort. Seeing Waitress at Olney Theatre Center allowed me to revisit a musical that I have more appreciation for now, with high expectations. Now that I’ve witnessed the whole journey, this production vibrantly captures the heart of Waitress: the power of inner strength, female friendship, and the pursuit of happiness.

Waitress is based on the 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly about a poor waitress in a small Southern town, Jenna (MALINDA), who hides her pain from an abusive relationship with her husband Earl (Greg Twomey) and an unwanted pregnancy by baking pies, pretending everything’s fine and surviving with waitress friends Becky (Allison Blackwell) and Dawn (Ashley D. Nguyen), surly cook Cal (Ethan Watermeier), and diner owner Joe (Bobby Smith). She tries to find her own way out by saving up to enter a pie contest that could be her ticket to a better life. Along the way, her friends find love, as does she, with her obstetrician, Dr. Pomatter (David Socolar).

The program notes ideas about the American dream and social justice that don’t seem to be baked into a production that pops in its brightness and calms in its quietude. Maybe it reads as “just doing Waitress to do Waitress,” maybe doing a strong production of a musical with female empowerment is a statement to make in these tough times, where a rousing story can bring someone to tears. Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s scaled-down direction makes it clear how Jenna’s environment affects her, placing the story where it needs to be and leaning in on Jenna’s pursuit of happiness.

There are beautiful moments of “fantastic dreams in a stuck world” through Jenna’s storytelling when the ensemble surrounds her with items that illustrate her thoughts and dreams, as she tells the audience new ideas for pies based on her life. Lighting shifts (by Minjoo Kim) establish different places, with a simple but effective set (by Chen-Wei Liao) that’s altered by set dressing and furniture, like bringing on an exam table or couch, rather than whole wall units. This places more emphasis on story, instead of trying to create some old dilapidated town. The band (conducted by Christopher Youstra) lives onstage, upstage of the action, creating a seamless connection with the vocalists and a fun sense of additional community.

Moments of connection, when one can unravel in emotion, stand out as highlights. This story is about inner strength: people who can break it, people who can piece it all up again, and someone who can do it all for herself and ultimately choose a life that feels right. The softer, more acoustic, and vulnerable songs like the friendship ballad “A Soft Place to Land,” romantic duet “You Matter to Me,” and almost-finale “Everything Changes” were strongest, with beautiful connection and sweetly powerful vocal performances from MALINDA, Nguyen, Blackwell, and Socolar. They make you feel like you can forget the world, indulge in their unrelenting love, care, and support for each other, and just live in the embrace of such a safe space forever.

It takes time to get there. MALINDA’s Jenna has a quiet strength: She’s warm yet cautious, playful yet reserved, trapped yet whimsically dreaming. She has a gorgeous mix of soprano with pop/rock and contemporary musical theater qualities, the style she must have brought to Once’s Girl (who she won a Helen Hayes Award for playing at Olney). Her “What Baking Can Do” is often mixed and not belted, resulting in a pretty performance, but one that could have more power behind it. “She Used to Be Mine” has cleaner, straight-on belts: a hardened, resigned take that delivers the power wanted earlier. If MALINDA thrives on folk music with mournful softness, though, give us more of that. She leans into her soft mix style, truer to her natural voice, more so in the second act, making it a stronger half from her vocal confidence and the journey that she took us on, especially as the character reaches major life changes. Leaning into softness, and letting it build into strength, makes for a fascinating take.

The supporting performers deliver acting-wise and vocally, with commitment and their own takes – particularly when they bring a sense of fun. As Pomatter, Socolar is the perfect nice guy, with a brightness and effortlessness to his contemporary tenor voice and playful physical choices that make him easy to love. Sam C. Jones’s Ogie is immediately weird but lovable, with giddy energy and full commitment to the bit that makes him a joy to watch.

Nguyen gives Dawn a sweet portrayal, genuinely loving her nerdy interests and not just relying on the facade of presenting as “weird,” with a bright tonal quality that fits the role. Though there seems to be some difficulty belting higher notes in “When He Sees Me,” she belts “I want to Again” when she married Ogie so well that previous vocal dips must have been a fluke. Blackwell’s Becky has grounded realness and a power belt, from strong alto singing to incredible high riffs that make “I Didn’t Plan It” another standout moment. She’s the best example of this production’s trend of “bringing your own voice to your character and taking it to the next level.”

Ethan Watermeier’s Cal gets applause from entering a scene with palpable awkwardness, and exiting without saying a word. As the owner Joe, Bobby Smith is a kindred spirit to Jenna. Greg Twomey is genuinely dangerous and manipulative as Earl, in an age when white men claiming ownership over things that aren’t “theirs” to own resonates eerily. Jessica Bennett leans into the weirdness of every situation Nurse Norma is in, being the sole witness to Jenna and Dr. Pomatter’s love affair, to great comedic effect.

Ultimately, a happy ending despite strife is what we need right now. A woman who strikes out to finally throw out an abusive husband, chooses to be on her own despite finding love, establishes her own business, raises her own daughter, and trusts in her friends, after a lifetime of struggle, is empowering to see. A show that can provide comfort, fun, and love is a flat-out great pick for a nice night out in a year that has really sucked so far. And maybe not overanalyzing art is okay if you’re seeing a show because you want to feel okay.

Running Time: Approximately two and a half hours with one intermission.

EXTENDED: Waitress plays through April 6, 2025, on the Roberts Mainstage at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1:30 pm, and select Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm. Tickets range from $41–$116 and are available online or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400. Discounts for students, seniors, military, veterans, first responders, and educators are available here. Additionally, Olney offers the following Affinity Nights during the run of Waitress:

Under 30 Night: Use the code Under30 for $30 tickets every Wednesday evening. Excludes Orchestra A and Mezzanine A. Limit 4.

Bakers & Bakers at Heart Night (food service industry) – Thurs. Feb 27 @6:30 pm: Use code Bakers to save 30% off Side Mezzanine seats, Rows A & B

Sweet Tooth Night – Wed. March 5 @ 6:30 pm: Use code SweetTooth to save 30% off Side Mezzanine seats, Rows A & B

An audio-described performance will be held Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 pm, and an ASL-interpreted performance on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 pm.

The program for Waitress is online here.

Waitress
Book by Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Music Directed by Christopher Youstra
Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge

CAST (in order of appearance)
Jenna: MALINDA
Cal: Ethan Watermeier
Dawn: Ashley D. Nguyen
Becky: Allison Blackwell
Joe: Bobby Smith
Earl: Greg Twomey
Nurse Norma: Jessica Bennett
Dr. Pomatter: David Socolar
Ogie: Sam C. Jones
Lulu: Iella Barr-O’Connor or Lou Chubin
Ensemble: Wynter Nicole Cook, Jay Frisby, Nikki Kim, Casey Martin Klein, Wood Van Meter, Russell Rinker, Nadja Tomaszewski

UNDERSTUDIES:
Jenna: Nadja Tomaszewski
Cal: Casey Martin Klein
Dawn: Nikki Kim
Becky: Jessica Bennett
Joe: Ethan Watermeier
Earl: Russell Rinker
Nurse Norma: Wynter Nicole Cook
Dr. Pomatter: Wood Van Meter
Ogie: Jay Frisby
Swings: Stellamaris Orellana, James B. Mernin

CREATIVE TEAM
Book: Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics: Sara Bareilles
Original Film: Adrienne Shelly
Director/Choreographer: Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Music Director/Director of Music Theater: Christopher Youstra
Scenic Designer: Chen-Wei Liao
Costume Designer: Sarah Cubbage
Lighting Designer: Minjoo Kim
Sound Designer: Matthew Rowe
Co-Wig Designer: J. Jared Janas
Co-Wig Designer: Cassie J. Williams
Dialect Coach: Lynn Watson
Production Stage Manager: Ben Walsh
Assistant Stage Managers: Kate Kilbane, Becky Reed

SEE ALSO:
MALINDA to headline ‘Waitress’ at Olney Theatre Center (news story, January 6, 2025)