Waitress (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Nelson and Bareilles keep the plot faithfully plugging along and even include some fun side antics...The score has Bareilles’s signature melodic riffs...It’s a fresh sound for Broadway...Sprinkled with humor and gravitas, it all feels a bit too familiar, and it is only Mueller’s central character that is given a dynamic arc to play...Mueller is achingly magnetic...The best reason to see the show is not for the meal, but rather who’s serving it. Make sure you’re sitting at Mueller’s table."
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"Smartly, the right ingredients for a crowd-pleasing theatrical entertainment have been mixed here: Sara Bareilles’ catchy pop-theatrical score, Diane Paulus’ steady and relatively unshowy direction, and a first-rate cast led by the finest ingredient of them all: the amazing Jessie Mueller...Every conflict in Jenna’s life feels entirely real in Mueller’s expert hands...I suspect some viewers will be coming back for seconds."
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"There are good reasons to savor 'Waitress,' the sweet and tart new musical confection about love and pie, deliciously performed...Diane Paulus directs with her usual verve, but, in keeping with the material, more down-home and laid-back than usual...Bareilles has written a score full of pleasing songs...The lyrics won’t make Sondheim jealous; the plot is both implausible and yet fairly predictable. But what 'Waitress' leaves us with is the affection evident among the characters."
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"The resulting musical is both sweet and bitter and only sporadically satisfying...Under Diane Paulus’ direction, the show at times seems to struggle to fill the stage. The book, written by Jessie Nelson and based on the film script, is nicely witty. But the choreography seems an afterthought, and the songs, by Sara Bareilles, are tuneful, yet often strangely reticent, as though meant to be sung quietly to oneself rather than loudly before a crowd.”
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"Paulus’s direction and Nelson’s book never let us forget that Jenna is a victim...The result of all this is that the men’s behavior overwhelms the show...Harsh sound design turns 'Waitress' into the most over-amplified show on Broadway...Paulus has admirably directed a small-scale, low-tech show in every other respect...The imaginative visuals are at total odds with the obtrusive audio...Bareilles has written a couple of sweet duets. She’s good when she keeps it small. "
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"Filled with prime ingredients, the evening is a tasty, satisfying, feel-good delight...Bareilles does a satisfactory job in her stage debut. Yes, there are a handful of numbers that entertain while not necessarily helping the musical along. Even so, the score is entertaining, likable, and supportive of the characters...Jessie Nelson takes the story and moves it along swiftly, landing big laughs along the way. Director Diane Paulus does an especially strong job."
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“The book offers no surprises other than its casual acceptance of adultery. The running pie-baking motif becomes tiresome quickly. The music is pleasant, but it is often difficult to make out the lyrics because the voices are harshly over amplified. The musicians sound so loud that they occasionally threaten to drown out the singers...Paulus’s direction is relatively restrained. The show is only moderately entertaining, but apparently that’s enough."
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"It features one of the best original pop scores to reach Broadway in years and another knockout performance from Tony winner Jesse Mueller...Bareilles’ sensibility proves an ideal fit for the material. Her stirring, melodic songs do everything a well-crafted musical score ought to do...Nelson likewise lends wit and heart to the often-funny script...The production marks a down-to-earth turn for Tony-winning director Diane Paulus...And the company is excellent all around."
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