Filmed Waitress to be released in US cinemas

Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway, the filmed version of the beloved Broadway musical, will hit cinemas across the United States on 7 December, presented in a partnership between Bleecker Street and Fathom Events. It had premiered in June at the Tribeca Film Festival.

A live stage capture of the Tony-nominated musical, adapted from Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film, Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway is directed for the screen by Brett Sullivan. Directed by Diane Paulus, the musical features a Tony-nominated score by Sara Bareilles — who also stars as Jenna in the filmed production — and a book by Jessie Nelson. Take a look at the trailer below.

In addition to Bareilles, the cast of Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway features Charity Angél Dawson as Becky, Caitlin Houlahan as Dawn, Drew Gehling as Dr Pomatter, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Eric Anderson as Cal, Joe Tippett as Earl, and Christopher Fitzgerald in his Tony-nominated role of Ogie.

Waitress follows the life of Jenna Hunterson (Bareilles) a pie-maker and waitress stuck in an unfulfilling marriage in a small town. She finds solace in baking and dreams of winning a baking contest in a nearby city to escape her mundane life.

The musical opened on Broadway in April 2016 starring Jessie Mueller as Jenna, and ran through January 2020. It then returned to the stage for a brief run following the pandemic shutdown from 2 September to 20 December, 2021. A West End production opened in 2019, before closing due to lockdowns in March 2020. A UK tour ran from 2021 to 2022.

The production has choreography by Lorin Latarro, sets by Scott Pask, costumes by Suttirat Anne Larlarb, lighting by Christopher Akerlind, and sound by Jonathan Deans. The music supervisor is Nadia DiGiallonardo. Book writer Nelson serves as creative advisor on the film.

Plans for an international release have not been confirmed – but we live in hope.