Waitress: The Musical


Waitress is a 2023 American musical comedy-drama film of the stage musical, which premiered in 2015. The film was recorded live at a performance of the musical in New York City. The 2007 film Waitress upon which the stage musical was in turn based, was written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. With music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson, the musical explores themes of female empowerment, personal transformation, and resilience, through the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie baker who seeks to escape her unhappy marriage to an abusive husband.
The film was produced in 2021 during the musical's limited run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. The film features the cast of this remounting, including Bareilles, Charity Angél Dawson, Caitlin Houlahan, Drew Gehling, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, Joe Tippett, and Christopher Fitzgerald. Diane Paulus directed the production, with Brett Sullivan directing the live filming and Nelson serving as a creative advisor. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2023, was theatrically released by Bleecker Street in the United States on December 7, 2023, and received positive reviews from critics.

Background

After a tryout at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August 2015, the musical Waitress premiered at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in April 2016, closing in January 2020, with direction by Diane Paulus and starring Jessie Mueller as Jenna; during the run, Sara Bareilles was a replacement player as Jenna. In March 2020, the Broadway theater district shut down, remaining closed for a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Producer Barry Weissler announced that a remount of the original production, starring Bareilles, would play following the reopening of Broadway theaters.
The show returned in a limited engagement on September 2, 2021, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, making it the first musical on Broadway to begin performances following the COVID-19 shutdown. The primary reason for its return was to film the production for a future public release. Several of the cast members from the original Broadway run starred in the production, including Bareilles as Jenna, Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Joe Tippett as Earl, Charity Angél Dawson as Becky, Caitlin Houlahan as Dawn, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie, and Eric Anderson as Cal; Paulus returned to direct the production. Brett Sullivan directed the filming, with his company, Steam Motion and Sound, producing the film. Nelson served as a film creative advisor. The run concluded on December 22, 2021, two weeks earlier than planned due to a spike of COVID-19.

Musical numbers

Act I
  • "What's Inside" – Jenna and Ensemble
  • "Opening Up" – Jenna, Becky, Dawn, Cal and Company
  • "The Negative" – Becky, Dawn and Jenna
  • "What Baking Can Do" – Jenna and Ensemble
  • "Club Knocked Up" – Female Ensemble
  • "Pomatter Pie" – Band
  • "When He Sees Me" – Dawn
  • "It Only Takes a Taste" – Dr. Jim Pomatter and Jenna
  • "You Will Still Be Mine" – Earl and Jenna
  • "A Soft Place to Land" – Jenna, Becky and Dawn
  • "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" – Ogie and Ensemble
  • "Bad Idea" – Jenna, Dr. Pomatter and Ensemble
Act II
  • "I Didn't Plan It" – Becky
  • "Bad Idea" – Jenna, Dr. Pomatter, Becky, Cal, Dawn, Ogie and Ensemble
  • "You Matter to Me" – Dr. Pomatter and Jenna
  • "I Love You Like a Table" – Ogie, Dawn and Ensemble
  • "Take It From an Old Man" – Joe and Ensemble
  • "She Used to Be Mine" – Jenna
  • "Contraction Ballet" – Jenna and Company
  • "What's Inside " – Company
  • "Everything Changes" – Jenna, Becky, Dawn and Company
  • "Opening Up" – Company
End credits

Release

The film premiered in the Spotlight+ section of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 12, 2023, followed by a post-screening musical performance by Bareilles. Simultaneously, it was broadcast with sound through the TSX app onto TSX Entertainment's 18,000-square-foot digital screen overlooking Times Square, including the broadcast of an introduction by Bareilles. In September 2023, Bleecker Street acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, partnering with Fathom Events for its theatrical release. It was theatrically released in the United States on December 7, 2023. The film's theatrical run lasted until December 21.
The film was released on digital platforms and Video on demand on January 9, 2024, and on Blu-ray on February 6, 2024, by Decal. It became available for streaming on Max in February 2025

Reception

Bareilles's performance as Jenna was praised for its depth and vulnerability, and the film was admired for maintaining the stage show’s theatrical energy while making smart cinematic choices in its filming.

Box office

The film grossed an estimated $3.2 million during its opening weekend from 1,214 theaters, finishing eighth. The movie made $5.4 million domestically and about $689,000 elsewhere. Worldwide, the film made more than $6 million.