Actors are preparting to take the Embassy Theatre stage for a pair of performances of touring musical Waitress.
According to the Embassy, the story centers on Jenna, a waitress and “expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage.”
This touring adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name has garnered positive reviews.
A critic writing for Broadway World said, “Everything about this performance is stunning — the vocals, acting choices, movement, and characters all played together sensationally.”
“Jisel Soleil Ayon played the lead role of Jenna with such ease and brilliance,” he said.
“From the minute Ayon stepped on stage I knew myself and the entire audience was in for a treat,” he added. “In addition to her near-perfect interactions with the rest of the cast, her vocals during key moments in the show were beautiful. When Ayon sang the show-stopping solo ‘She Used to be Mine,’ there was a thunderous round of applause for nearly an entire minute after the conclusion of the number.
No Rest for Weary
Ayon recently told Click On Detroit about the ins and outs of the tour
“Just to be blatantly honest, it is hard,” she said. “It’s a show one evening, get up in the morning, get back on the bus, travel, do the show, back on the bus, and travel again. There’s not really a lot of time to rest. And to do the job that we do with very little rest is hard.
“I hope that people in general give grace to touring actors. We are giving you 100 percent when we’re on 30 percent fuel. So giving ourselves grace and, hopefully, the audience giving us grace, knowing that we’ve gone through so much to get to their city and bring them the show to give them our all, every single night.”
Also on the playbill are actress Dominique Kent as Becky and Gabriella Marzetta as Dawn.
‘Better Than I Thought’
Ensemble member and understudy Stephanie Feeback told The News Herald that while she hasn’t seen the movie, she saw the Broadway production.
“I didn’t know much about it going in, but I remember leaving and my impression was, ‘Wow, that was even better than I thought it would be — which seems to be a lot of people’s reaction,” she said. “They don’t know quite what they’re getting, but they love it.”
The spectacle not only features spectacular actors, but also music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Sara Bareilles.
“It’s an empowering musical of the highest order!” according to a review in The Chicago Tribune. “Don’t miss this uplifting and hilarious musical celebrating friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.”
Ayon pointed to the humanity of the show in an interview with The Daily Gazette.
“We love those Broadway shows that are fantastical and upbeat and light-hearted, and this show has all of that, but it also gets really real and really human,” she said.
“This show also takes you to low places. It gets very human and sad, but then it does lift you up. You’ll start crying while you’re laughing, and you’ll start laughing while you’re crying.”
