Fort Wayne Civic Theatre is building a great run this year at Embassy Theatre, on the heels of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas in November, where they filled the house. 

Now they’ll present the musical Waitress for two performances only, Feb. 8-9. It’s a unique opportunity for Civic Theatre and the Fort Wayne audience.

Waitress is a contemporary production that opened on Broadway in 2016, has gone international, and is still running. It’s an adaptation of a little-remembered indie Hollywood film of the same name from 2007, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. 

Waitress, the musical, has a book by Jessie Nelson, with truly outstanding music and lyrics by renowned pop singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, who eventually took the starring role on Broadway and in the filmed version released in 2023.

Rare opportunity

In the first week of January, I spoke with the show’s director and choreographer, Capri Parrish Williams, who was just beginning rehearsals.

“I think for me, the big draw with Waitress is that it is a contemporary piece when you look at it musically,” she said.

“Sometimes when people hear, ‘Oh, it’s musical theater,’ they get turned off. But Sara Bareilles helped to create a bridge to those who are contemporary music lovers.”

Williams explained this production is a singular stroke of good fortune.

Broadway shows are tightly controlled by their publishing companies through licensing. While a show is in its original run, they don’t permit outside theaters to perform it; this condition can persist for years. 

Waitress is in fact still in its original run, but in this case, Civic Theatre hit the jackpot. 

Williams explained that last year, because of an anticipated hiatus in the schedule of the touring company, the licensing agency contacted a few theaters around the country and offered them the right to stage Waitress this month. As Civic Theatre is a community theater and not a professional Equity house, they’re doubly lucky. 

If you miss these two shows, it could be years before you can see Waitress in a local production again.

Ensemble cast

Waitress is the story of Jenna, not just a waitress, but also a brilliant pie chef who creates new confections in a small diner in an obscure town. In a troubled marriage and pregnant with her first child, Jenna wrestles with thwarted dreams and infidelity. 

The ensemble cast provide upbeat, kinetic romantic comedy relief, while reveries of sugar, butter, flour, and memories of her mother’s love keep Jenna moving forward.

Jenna is played by Morgan Spencer in her first lead role with Civic Theatre. Her fellow waitresses are MoMo Lamping as Becky and Cass Rentfrow as Dawn. They’ve got strong three-part harmony, but each gets her turn to sing her own story. 

Adam Cesarz plays Earl, Jenna’s narcissistic, callous husband. Quintin Bouillon is Dr. Pomatter, Jenna’s obstetrician and the object of her furtive, displaced desire. Ian Capuyan plays Cal, the diner’s manager and cook. 

Fort Wayne veteran actor Gavin Thomas Drew plays the scene-stealing comic foil Ogie, vying for Dawn’s heart. Another local veteran, Thom Hofrichter, plays Joe, the diner’s crotchety, elderly owner, who may be the only person who can help Jenna realize her worth.

The book doesn’t specify an exact time or location, but Williams reports they’re placing it in the present day in a small town where Texas meets Arkansas, and they’re working on authentic accents and mannerisms.

Vocal test

The centerpiece is Act Two’s expansive solo for Jenna, “She Used To Be Mine,” a somber reflection on the memory of the girl she used to be. Incidentally, that song was a showpiece for two famous Fort Wayne artists; Addison Agen sang it on The Voice in 2017 and Heather Headley featured it on her 2018 album Broadway My Way.

“I think even if you don’t know Waitress, you know that song,” Williams said. “That song is very challenging. I think that Morgan has a big task ahead of her, but the girl can sing. So, I’m not worried about it!”

That brought us to the distinctive thing about Bareilles’ songs: they have a wide range of musical and emotional expression.

“We actually talked about that last night in rehearsal … about creating that road map not only for your voice but also for your character development,” Williams said.

“There’s a lot of pieces, there’s a lot of themes where you can’t just belt the song. You have to make different choices with your voice and with your expression. 

“So, again, what a dynamic show this brings to a performer, where you get to have range on stage, which sometimes you don’t get, that opportunity to show your character arc through music and through dialogue and through movement. So it’s kind of a perfect blend of all three of those.”

On the move

Williams is having a blast choreographing with the main cast and the 12 ensemble players. The highlights for her are two production numbers, Ogie’s “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” in Act One and “I Love You Like a Table” in Act Two.

“They’re like the ‘musical theater’ pieces,” Williams said. “We really get to dance. We really get to have full formations of choreography. 

“Those are so fun and exciting to create.”

Throughout the show, there’s ensemble singing, a drum line of body percussion, and sleight of hand as more than 30 pies “handmade by our scenic charge artist” get passed around through the frantic movement.

Williams is excited this is the first season since the pandemic that Civic Theatre has live musicians in the pit, starting with The Rocky Horror Show last September. 

For Waitress, Holly Knott is music director, pianist, and the leader of a rock band with a cellist, supporting the moods of the singers with Bareilles’ challenging arrangements of varied styles and meters.

“Whenever you’re able to do pieces like Waitress, I think it’s always an exciting opportunity to produce for the community,” Williams said.

“Fort Wayne is a music town, and we have the perfect chance to do this piece in Fort Wayne at Civic Theatre.”