Waitress The Musical at The Regent Theatre Stoke on Trent Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by H Chan
What an opening night! Not a single hiccup that we noticed, every single person on the stage was incredible. Every note delivered to the highest standard and lines well rehearsed.
We were invited to The Regent Theatre in Stoke, a venue we visit often and always find it friendly and easily accessible. Our seats were in the circle, as my daughter uses a wheelchair. From the second row, we could see everything going on on stage, rows A and B are great for wheelchair users, as on the ends there is a railing and no one sits in front blocking the view.
The show follows the story of Jenna, a waitress who works in a diner. Her story is one of hurt, love and lies, but ultimately her strength and survival to become who she was born to be. Jenna overcomes struggles whilst reaching for her dream of winning a baking competition. It tackles the subject of domestic abuse (physical and emotional) and how she reacts to her unexpected pregnancy. Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Jenna, was a natural in portraying the emotional shut down and numbness that must be felt going along with her loveless, abusive marriage to Earl, played by Mark Willshire. His character was believable and of course we were rooting for her to leave him. The story was a little slow in places, but overall the plot moved forward well. I feel the second act moved a lot quicker than the first, with the narrative being a little more rushed, but it worked.
Of course I have to mention Les Dennis, who played Joe, the owner of the diner where Jenna worked as a baker and a waitress. He appeared as a grumpy, set in his ways old man, with a softer side for Jenna. His singing brought a tear to the eyes of many.
One of my favourite parts of the show was the set. The set was so well put together, and designed so that it could be moved easily without interrupting the flow of what was going on on stage. It showed the diner perfectly. I particularly loved that the band were on stage as part of the diner, and the piano even used as a prop for holding pies! The band were absolutely brilliant and deserved a big mention. There were also times when members of the band would stand behind the characters and play, I loved this as it helped to make it feel more immersive.
In the diner, Jenna has two co-worked best friends, who add a comedic element to the darkness, and help to balance out the plot. Each have their own subplots which are just as entertaining and woven into the show perfectly. Sandra Marvin, who played Becky, struck me as the mother figure of the trio. She delivered some astounding vocals in the song ‘I didn’t plan it’, which attempts to deal with the aspect of adultery. In the sense of Jenna’s awful marriage, hoping she’d connect with someone else seems to make sense, but at the same time raises questions about cheating. Evelyn Hoskins who plays Dawn, was delightful. I loved her energy on stage.
I did love how there was a contrast between Jenna’s home life where she was isolated and manipulated, to when she was with her friends and could be herself more. There was a definite change in atmosphere. Lighting and stage design did very well making her home look dark and uncomfortable, and the diner bright and filled with smiling faces. I loved that they showed her love of baking along with her grieving the loss of her mother. Carrie’s range and skill really shone in this show.
I think my favourite vocal performances of the night were ‘Never Evern Getting Rid of Me’, sang by Ogie – Mark Anderson. It was an unexpected upbeat and chaotic number which had everyone in stitches. I loved Les Dennis’s version of ‘Take it from and Old Man’. It showed how much his character truly cared. I also loved Carrie Hope Fletcher’s ‘She Used to Be Mine’. Oh my days, it was breathtaking. You could feel the emotion coming through!
Dan Partridge played Dr Pomatter, he was funny but his adultery didn’t seem to make sense, I needed a little more to his story, but saying that his performance was brilliant. Finally of the main cast, was Dan O’Brien who played Cal. I enjoyed his side story and it would have been nice for him to have had a bigger part, but again I suppose it would make the show longer.
The ensemble and swing deserve a mention too, their timings were spot on and kept the energy going.
There are some more adult scenes, so I’d probably recommend this musical for 12/13 upwards. There are also some more suggestive and darker themes, which might trigger some.
You can find tickets here https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/waitress/regent-theatre beginning at £16.64 up to £57.20. It runs until Saturday July 11th. It runs for two hours and thirty five minutes.
My daughter and I gave the show five out of five stars. Whilst slower paced than some shows, the level of acting and singing was so high and everyone delivered an incredible performance.
Rating: 5/5