With its perfect mix of wit, warmth, and bittersweet charm, Duluth Playhouse’s production of “Waitress” left opening night audiences laughing, crying, and craving more.
On opening night, the Duluth Playhouse lobby was abuzz with excited playgoers eager to see the musical “Waitress,” making its area debut. Noshing on the perfect bite-sized treats, cute little pies on a stick, also got the audience ready for this charming production about Jenna, diner waitress and the “queen” extraordinaire of pie makers.
Based on the popular 2007 movie starring Keri Russell, the show was adapted into a musical with music and lyrics by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and composer Sara Bareilles.
Bareilles made her Broadway debut when she composed music and wrote lyrics for the 2015 musical “Waitress,” for which she earned nominations for the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She also played the role of Jenna later in the Broadway run.
The small Southern town setting is home to Joe’s Pie Diner, filled with an eclectic mix of quirky patrons and staff. Set Designer Curtis Phillips’s stunning main diner set impeccably recreates the small-town restaurant ambiance, right down to the “tiled” floor, booths, stools, signs, and counter, all framed in a down-home, cheery checkered pattern.
Kudos also to props designer Carrie Powers Greer, who had to track down not only the minutiae of what goes into a diner, but also everything needed for a “back of house” pie-making kitchen, including utensils and a myriad of pie ingredients.
Alyson Enderle, one of the Playhouse’s favorite leading ladies, tugs at the audience’s heartstrings with her unfulfilled dreams to win an area pie baking contest, winning enough money so she can escape her loveless marriage to the abusive Earl, played by Sean Naughton, dead-on as the hillbilly villain of the piece.
After finding herself pregnant, Jenna feels that those dreams are forever gone. Enderle sings beautifully, masterfully tackling this challenging score; she hits her stride in the show’s gorgeous anthem, “She Used to be Mine,” where she regretfully laments the girl she used to be and the future she hoped for, now seemingly dashed forever.
Enderle also captures Jenna’s wry sense of humor, notably in the hilarious names of her pies reflecting her various moods and states of mind including “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie,” “I Don’t Want to Have Earl’s Baby Pie,” “Pregnant, Miserable, Self-Pitying Loser Pie,” and the eyebrow raising “I Wanna Play Doctor With My Gynecologist Pie.”
When Jenna meets Dr. Pomatter (Thomas Bevan), the new gynecologist in town, she instantly dislikes him, and then, of course, finds herself wildly attracted to him. Bevan, who last performed at the Playhouse as the husband in “Next to Normal,” is funny, awkward, and sweet in the role and has excellent chemistry with Enderle. His singing voice is also strong and blends well with hers in their duets.
Infidelity is one of the show’s darker themes; with both Jenna and Dr. Pomatter being married, their relationship (including a doctor/patient one) is decidedly more complicated.
Jenna’s best friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn (Lussi Pearl) and Becky (Gabbi Mack) are a combination of backup singers, Greek chorus, confidantes, and voices of conscience. Both are delightful with their own strange storylines and complicated love lives (or lack thereof).
Mack has a powerhouse, “blow your hair back” voice, which is particularly evident in her fabulous top of Act Two solo, “I Didn’t Plan It.” She, too, has a sad angle to her backstory with an invalid husband who is dependent on her for everything. Her character, Becky, is also looking for love in all the wrong places.
Pearl is an audience favorite as the neurotic, lovelorn Dawn, who resorts to online dating services and setting up five-minute dates so she can escape as needed. Dawn finds her ideal match in Ogie (Antony Ferguson), who is an equally neurotic odd duck. Pearl and Ogie create some of the show’s funniest moments.
In a whirlwind of a performance, as the loose-limbed, over-the-top, and adorably inept Ogie, Ferguson committed theatrical larceny, stealing the show with every appearance, greeted with applause every time he stepped onto the stage. Showing his ballet dance training and his innate sense of timing and comic goofiness, Ferguson deserves a comic lead in a future show.
(Read our profile of Ferguson at destinationduluth.co/AntonyFergusonProfile)
Bravo to the great supporting players in the show, including Michael Kraklio, as Joe, the crotchety owner of the diner; Carrie Rosow, the all-seeing, all knowing, wise cracking Nurse Norma; Sean Naughton in the thankless role as Jenna’s brute of a husband, Earl; and Ole Dack as the diner’s nasty chef and manager, Cal.
The 6-piece orchestra, under the sharp direction of Elise Santa. played the show beautifully, never overwhelming the singers. The show’s ensemble was also strong, seamlessly singing, dancing, and moving sets and props throughout the performance.
“Waitress” has a romantic comedy vibe, but it is definitely intended for adult audiences. At times risqué, sometimes downright raunchy, it is not a show for children or even young teens.
The opening night audience devoured it with a spoon, laughing and applauding throughout and giving an uproarious, instantaneous, and well-deserved standing ovation.
Director/choreographer Ann Bergeron put together a “delicious” summer show with terrific casting, crisp pacing, fun choreography, and inventive staging. Closing their 2024-25 season with “Waitress,” this fresh slice of theatrical pie, the Playhouse ended with the audience wanting more.
Information on “Waitress”
LOCATION
NorShor Theatre
211 E Superior St. Duluth, MN 55802
DATES
July 11-27, 2025
Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm
Sun Matinees at 2 pm
ASL Interpretation July 25 at 7:30 pm
Audio Description July 13 at 2 pm
TICKETS
The Playhouse is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
On show dates, the Box Office opens at 5:30 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. for matinees.
Box Office: (218) 733-7555 or boxoffice@duluthplayhouse.org
Purchase Online Tickets Here
BASED UPON THE MOTION PICTURE WRITTEN BY ADRIENNE SHELLY
Book by Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Content Warning: Waitress contains strong language, mentions of alcohol, sexual scenes, domestic violence, infidelity, and emotional distress. If you have specific concerns and/or would like to know more, please contact the box office at 218-733-7555.
For our profile of Antony Ferguson (Ogie), visit destinationduluth.co/AntonyFergusonProfile.
Sheraton 301 offers a tasty Waitress-themed menu featuring a three-course meal: Spinach and Feta Pie (Spanakopita), Beef Bourguignon Pot Pie, and Cherry Pie for dessert.
Next up for the Duluth Playhouse is the opening show of their 2025-26 season, “Million Dollar Quartet.”
Season tickets are available now.
