Waitress review: Carrie Hope Fletcher new staging is served to perfection

I last saw Waitress in London in 2020, with the supremely talented Sara Bareilles (responsible for the stunning music and lyrics) and Gavin Creel, who sadly passed away in 2024, as the leads. I have been eagerly anticipating the show’s return, but thought it would be difficult to top such a brilliant casting.

But I’m happy to say that the UK tour that premiered in Wimbledon for a 10th anniversary production is just as magical in Abbey O’Brien’s restaging of Diane Paulus’s original work. Carrie Hope Fletcher effortlessly plays expert pie-maker Jenna, a waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner in small-town America, and Dan Partridge is very funny as the neurotic, but well-meaning Dr Pomatter.

It’s based on the 2007 film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. Jenna is married to the abusive Earl (played in the musical by a convincingly piggish Mark Willshire) and dreams of leaving him, but then she finds out she’s pregnant. A way out seems like a pie in the sky, until she hears about a pie-making contest that offers a prize of $20,000 to the winner. Where Earl thinks Jenna’s “no Sara Lee”, Dr Pomatter believes her pies are so good that they could win awards.

In what could be seen as quite a sad story, it also has tons of humour that I think lands even better this time around, and I’m sure some gags have been added, and they really work. All the characters in Jessie Nelson’s script are well fleshed out, and realistically flawed – they never pretend to be anything but.

Mark Anderson as Dawn’s besotted, eccentric love interest Ogie is a real scene-stealer and Les Dennis is great as the grouchy yet likable Joe, who owns the diner, and believes in Jenna’s abilities. Dan O’Brien does a good job teetering between appearing tough as diner manager Cal one minute, and as a big softie underneath it all the next.

But it’s the female friendships that really shine here. The relationship between Jenna and fellow waitresses, Dawn (played with quirky charm by Evelyn Hoskins) and Becky (a hilarious Sandra Marvin), is a beautiful dynamic to watch. While there is a big serving of adultery in the plot, how often do we get to see women so powerfully embracing their sexual freedom?

Scott Pask’s set mainly revolves around the gloriously colourful diner and Jenna and Earl’s home. The mouth-watering appeal of all the pies is immense. There’s also quite a lot of props for the cast to grapple with, including real ingredients (“sugar, butter, flour”), which gives this a homey, hand-made feel.

There’s just enough choreography from Lorin Latarro to make sure this doesn’t enter into cheesy territory, and Bareilles’s songs will have you both laughing and crying. There’s belters like Becky’s I Didn’t Plan It, Ogie’s silly yet romantic I Love You Like a Table and Jenna and Dr Pomatter’s emotional You Matter to Me. She Used to Be Mine is the clear stand-out, where Jenna reflects on her conflicted feelings about becoming a mother and losing her identity.

Fletcher’s rendition is genuinely goosebump-inducing. She convincingly portrays someone who is trying her best, but is tired by life, someone strong, but who doesn’t believe in herself. She exudes warmth – like a pie fresh out of the oven – and that makes all the difference. In the previous London production, the role of Jenna was sometimes miscast, but Fletcher clearly has all the ingredients that make a stage star. Similarly with Jenna and Dr Pommater’s chemistry, it didn’t always chime, but here, their interactions will leave you on a sugar high.

Waitress will make you not just “happy enough”, but truly, grinning ear-to-ear happy with lovable characters, moving songs and an empowering message – all of it mixed up and baked in a beautiful musical, topped with a massive dollop of charm.

• Buy Waitress tickets at ATG Tickets
• Buy Waitress tickets at Ticketmaster

How to get tickets to see Waitress

Waitress is hitting 28 venues across the UK and you can get tickets at the official venue sites or ATG Tickets and Ticketmaster.

• 28 Mar 2026 – 4 Apr 2026 – Wimbledon, New Wimbledon Theatre
• 6 Apr 2026 – 11 Apr 2026 – Brighton, Theatre Royal
• 13 Apr 2026 – 18 Apr 2026 – Bradford, Alhambra Theatre
• 20 Apr 2026 – 25 Apr 2026 – Woking, New Victoria Theatre
• 28 Apr 2026 – 2 May 2026 – Birmingham, Hippodrome
• 4 May 2026 – 9 May 2026 – Sunderland, Empire
• 12 May 2026 – 16 May 2026 – Edinburgh, Playhouse Theatre
• 19 May 2026 – 23 May 2026 – Dublin, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
• 26 May 2026 – 30 May 2026 – Manchester, Palace Theatre
• 1 Jun 2026 – 6 Jun 2026 – Wolverhampton, Grand Theatre
• 8 Jun 2026 – 13 Jun 2026 – Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre
• 17 Jun 2026 – 20 Jun 2026 – Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
• 29 Jun 2026 – 4 Jul 2026 – Oxford, New Theatre
• 6 Jul 2026 – 11 Jul 2026 – Stoke-on-Trent, Regent Theatre
• 13 Jul 2026 – 18 Jul 2026 – Blackpool, Opera House
• 20 Jul 2026 – 25 Jul 2026 – Leicester, Leicester Curve
• 28 Jul 2026 – 1 Aug 2026 – Belfast, Grand Opera House
• 4 Aug 2026 – 8 Aug 2026 – Bristol, Hippodrome
• 10 Aug 2026 – 15 Aug 2026 – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
• 17 Aug 2026 – 22 Aug 2026 – Llandudno, Venue Cymru
• 24 Aug 2026 – 29 Aug 2026 – Bournemouth, Pavilion Theatre
• 1 Sep 2026 – 5 Sep 2026 – Hull, New Theatre
• 7 Sep 2026 – 12 Sep 2026 – Liverpool, Empire
• 14 Sep 2026 – 19 Sep 2026 – Eastbourne, Congress Theatre
• 22 Sep 2026 – 26 Sep 2026 – Milton Keynes, Theatre
• 6 Oct 2026 – 10 Oct 2026 – Glasgow, King’s Theatre
• 13 Oct 2026 – 17 Oct 2026 – Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre
• 27 Oct 2026 – 31 Oct 2026 – Salford, The Lowry

• Buy Waitress tickets at ATG Tickets
• Buy Waitress tickets at Ticketmaster

Make sure you read our Romeo & Juliet review with Sadie Sink.