STAGE: Waitress

The heroine of the musical Waitress is Jenna, who works at a diner in an unnamed southern town, and has a creative genius for making pies with fanciful names and unexpected combinations of ingredients. This show takes an unexpected combination of ingredients – an abusive husband, an unwanted pregnancy, extramarital affairs, women trapped by hard economic circumstances – and bakes all of that into an unexpectedly delicious feast for the eyes, ears, and heart. The choreography is impressive, with the cast dancing around and the diner’s tables, tray carts, and pantry shelves often playing moving parts in the dance. The Sara Bareilles tunes are charming with witty lyrics that define the characters and propel the story, and Desi Oakley as Jenna does a great job serving them up with impressive stylings like falls and runs near the end of big long notes. Charity Angél Dawson was sassy as Jenna’s friend and co-worker Becky, and shined in her big number “I Didn’t Plan It” at the top of Act Two. And Oakley has some lovely duets with Bryan Fenkart (Dr. Pomatter), particularly “A Really Good Bad Idea” at the end of Act One. Despite some dark and heavy themes, there’s enough sugar in this pie to balance it. I smiled a lot and laughed, including a couple tipping-head-back roaring laughs, at the same time as appreciating its more serious commitments, but it is dessert in the end. If you have a chance to catch this while it’s still at the Pantages (through Aug 26), we recommend it.