“Sugar. Butter. Flour.”
These are the first words we hear in Waitress, The Musical, the Diane Paulus-directed (Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna) stage production that adapts the 2007 Adrienne Shelly-written/directed/starred romantic comedy non-musical Waitress. These three words signify the start of the show, the key ingredients that this pastry-centric tale builds its foundation upon, while also being the auditory signal that we, the audience, are being brought into the tale’s central character’s (Jenna) imagination and creative core. With three words, the auditorium is brought to a hush as we await the baker’s next words, the latest confection, the newest creative brilliance. If you’re one of many who may not have given Waitress, The Musical a chance during its regular run or tour or are a major fan looking to devour a favorite dessert at your leisure, DECAL Releasing, in partnership with Bleecker Street, is releasing a physical edition of the production. Captured on film by director Brett Sullivan (Kinky Boots: The Musical) and starring the production’s lyricist and composer Sara Bareilles in the lead role (which she did partake in during one of the runs), Waitress, The Musical briefly hit theaters in December 2023 before a digital release in January 2024 and now comes home on physical formats, though without any kind of embellishments, decorative, nutritious, or otherwise sugar-coated.
Sara Bareilles as Jenna in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
Stuck in a marriage she’s long outgrown but afraid to leave, talented pie-maker and waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner Jenna (Sara Bareilles) unfortunately discovers that one drunken amorous night with her husband Earl (Joe Tippett) has led to a lifetime of responsibility. Oddly, Jenna finds a bit of comfort in two places: the new obstetrician in her doctor’s office, Dr. Jim Pomatter (Drew Gehling), and an upcoming pie competition whose top prize would be enough to start a new life for herself and her child away from Earl. With help from her friends and fellow waitresses Becky (Charity Angél Dawson) and Dawn (Caitlin Houlahan), Jenna may just have what she needs to start over. But she may also learn that starting over doesn’t mean giving up any part of herself.
Considering the show has been running since August 2016 on Broadway, let’s jump into the home release before we get to any thoughts I may have on the film.
The cast of WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL on stage. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
This is a very bare-bones release, which may disappoint some who were hoping for more. How so? The disc auto-plays two Bleecker Street previews ahead of the menu and that’s the only way to access them. Even other scarce discs from distributors like Well Go USA may include the ability to reaccess the trailers from the menu screen, but here you can’t. There’s not even an option to watch the trailer for the theatrical release of the musical, of which there are at least two. With the play no longer in production, this seems like a great opportunity to have included interviews, featurettes, or even commentary from the cast or crew. Though lead actor in this version and songwriter/compose Sara Bareilles has spoken about her work on Waitress before, even recording an album of her own versions of a few songs released in November 2015 (after the initial August 2015 tryout), how wonderful would it be to have her thoughts on the production to go along with the viewing. This is, of course, marred by my own appreciation for Bareilles as an artist and as a fan of the source material, so take that for what you will. That said, in a period where physical media seems to be underappreciated by studios/distributors while audiences remain hungry for it, it does feel like a missed opportunity to help the longevity of a show that, for now, is not running.
L-R: Drew Gehling as Dr. Jim Pomatter and Sara Bareilles as Jenna in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
As for the home reproduction itself, this is, without question, the best seat in the house. Though the feature begins with a shot straight at the stage, a pie lattice over the curtain, and though it may go back to that straight-on wide shot or other seat perspective angles, the bulk of the film is either in mid-range, close, or close-up, meaning that the play possesses the intimacy of a feature. This enables the home-viewing audience to catch every gesture, every expression, every aspect of the performance without having to worry about whether some aspect of your seat position is preventing you from seeing, hearing, or otherwise taking in Paulus’s work or that of her cast. Additionally, while it’s not too surprising in this day and age that the video would be as clear and crisp (modern recording with modern equipment), but the sound must be taken straight from the theater’s mixer because it’s as clean and resonant as if listening to an album. Not just the songs that are perfectly mixed for a 5.1 surround sound experience, but the dialogue, too, which maintains an appropriate conversational volume. All in all, in terms of an at-home experience, this is incredibly strong.
L-R: Joe Tippett as Earl and Sara Bareilles as Jenna in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
It’s worth noting that this recorded production is a composite of several: two live performances mixed with a closed set performance. This is what allows the shifts in perspective while allowing for the more traditional theater views. It’s also why/how, unlike the staged shows, this version offers a bit of a surprise that packs a heck of a wallop for “Everything Changes.”
L-R: Charity Angél Dawson as Becky, Sara Bareilles as Jenna, and Caitlin Houlahan as Dawn in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
When it comes to the film, it’s hard for me, personally, not to be moved by it. The adaptation work by Jessie Nelson (Fred Claus) to transform the original into this is marvelous, maintaining all of its original charm and energy without sacrificing anything. In fact, thanks to the songs, there’re opportunities to extend our time and insight into the supporting characters so that Jenna (wonderfully captured by Bareilles (Community)) may be the individual with whom the story revolves, but is not the only one to get shine. Portrayed here by Dawson (Little Voice) and Houlahan (Mare of Easttown), the characters of Becky and Dawn get a little more fleshed out, their comparative pairings serving as a way for the story to convey the complexity of mature relationships. At no point does Shelly’s script for the original film look down upon any of the women, a massive change from romance tales that would typically suggest that a woman who gives into her sexual side outside of marriage is somehow less than, while it’s basically accepted for men to do so in situations just like these women are in. (It’s also blissfully and unapologetically sex positive in surprising ways.) Rather, through text and subtext, it’s explored how one can love someone and still find fulfillment elsewhere, especially when one of the partners is medically incapable of providing that which the other needs as part of the human experience. Sure, Jenna’s tale is a little easier to absorb given the violence she so clearly endures, physically and psychologically, but this tale never makes her a victim, never makes her choices seem like anything less than genuine, and never reduces her or the others to anything other than being human. That these performers can do this, can convey the humanity without judgement *and* entertain us to the point of tears (by laughter or painful identification), merely acknowledges the strength of the original story and of its adaptation. Though, for this reviewer, a lot of my own connection ties to my own complex feelings of being a father and what this version of the story forced me to confront about myself that I wasn’t aware of. Thus this story, though not something I can identify with entirely, does resonate, especially when we reach near the end of Act III as “Everything Changes” begins.
Charity Angél Dawson as Becky in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
If you’re a fan of the original 2007 film and haven’t seen the musical *or* you’ve seen the musical and want a keepsake, you’re not going to walk away from what directors Brett Sullivan and Diane Paulus have produced for home-viewing. It never forgets that it’s recording a stage production, while also using multi-camera tricks and editing to give the play the energy and momentum of a traditional film. It’s a marriage, not of convenience or of once-burning-hot desire, but of proper affection and respect, one where audiences will not forget this is a play first, even while being swept up by it through the performances and songs. Even as a bare-bones release, this will leave you feeling like you got your money’s worth. That said, if you’ve no connection to the production ahead of time, but are curious, snagging this immediately should warrant a measure of caution as being able to revisit this work at your leisure may not be enough without the resonance that it instills in those familiar pre-release. Speaking as someone who’d only seen the film and listened to Bareilles’s 2015 album over and over since release, this production contains resonance to those open to it. But if that’s not you, you may want to hold off on grabbing a slice of this particular pie until it’s at a cost you find reasonable.
L-R: Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogle and Caitlin Houlahan as Dawn in WAITRESS, THE MUSICIAL. Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street, Fathom Events, and DECAL Releasing.
By the by, the fine folks at Bleecker Street offered up one of Jenna’s pie recipes to herald the arrival of the theatrical and home release, so we’re passing this on to you. Enjoy the recipe for Almost Makes You Believe Again Pie.
Available on digital January 9th, 2024.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD February 6th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Bleecker Street Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway! webpage.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5.
Share this:
Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
Leave a Reply