The wait is over: eagerly anticipated musical Waitress, with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, will have its West End premiere next Spring.
The multi-Tony Award-nominated hit is currently playing its third year on Broadway, and will begin previews at the Adelphi Theatre in February 2019, with London casting to be announced at a later point.
Waitress also brings with it the first all-female creative team for a West End musical, with the score by six-time Grammy Award-nominated Bareilles, along with a book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.
Check out our Waitress preview below:
The show tells the tale of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a life beyond her own. Trapped in by a loveless marriage, her dreams may yet come to the boil, when a baking contest in a nearby county serves up new romance and recipes to happiness. But can Jenna find the inner courage and strength to rebuild her life?
Waitress is an American musical celebrating friendship, motherhood – and the magic of a well-made pie.
The original Broadway production of Waitress (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Of the announcement, Sara Bareilles said: “I cannot contain my excitement that we will be bringing Waitress to the West End! This is a dream come true! And I must say, to be hosted in a theatre co-owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Nederlander Group makes this very sweet moment even sweeter.
“We are so proud of this beautiful show, and can’t wait to share the story of Jenna with a whole new audience and welcome them into the world of Waitress with open arms and plenty of pie.”
The original Broadway production of Waitress (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Waitress is based on the 2007 motion picture, and arrived on the stage on 24 April 2016. On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, two Drama League Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, and four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original cast starred the likes of Jessie Mueller, Drew Gehling and The Greatest Showman star Keala Settle.
Waitress replaces Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, with the latter concluding its run on 12 January 2019.