Waitress

July 30 – August 5

Waitress promises to be a sweet slice of Muny heaven! Featuring memorable music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles, the story centers on Jenna, a baker who dreams of escaping her job, small town and rocky marriage. Adapted from the 2007 film, it’s a satisfying celebration of friendship, motherhood and the magic of a homemade pie. A Muny and Midwest regional premiere. 

 Music and Lyrics by SARA BAREILLES  • Book by JESSIE NELSON 

Performance time 8:15 p.m. nightly • Running time 2:20 including intermission

View program

Buy tickets

About the Show

Waitress depicts title character Jenna’s story of liberation and transformation as she bakes her way through a rocky marriage, unplanned pregnancy and comical love affair with her OB-GYN. Jenna seeks escape by entering a pie contest, while a dynamic cast of diner colleagues work through their own quirky romances.

Ratings and age restrictions are not issued for The Muny’s professionally licensed shows, but we offer the following notes regarding content that may have a bearing on patron comfort.

Language • The words shit, ass, hell and damn are each used many times. The word piss is used twice; bastard and hussy are each used once.

Sexual Innuendo • Many lines of dialogue and lyrics refer to sex, and sex is dramatized in several scenes.

Drugs and Alcohol • Alcohol is mentioned or shown in a few instances.

Violence • Jenna’s abusive husband has an outburst.

Mature Content • Unplanned pregnancy and marital infidelity are recurring themes. In one line of dialogue, Jenna’s doctor offers to refer her to a doctor who performs abortions.

Waitress pie pin During the Muny premiere of Waitress, take home one of our limited-edition “What Baking Can Do” acrylic lapel pins. Proceeds from the sale of these pie-shaped pins will be used to purchase items from the need list of Lydia’s House, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that provides domestic violence survivors and their children a safe place to heal, a voice for justice, and an opportunity for better and sustainable lives.

“What Baking Can Do” pins are available for $3 at the Muny Merch stand near Steward Family Plaza and at upper concessions on Lichtenstein Plaza.

Arriving early for Waitress? Join us 6:15-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at our upper Lichtenstein Plaza for a celebration of local, woman-owned bakeries. You can also get a taste of their specialty baked goods! Featured bakeries:

Lili-Anne Brown

Director
Chloe O. Davis

Choreographer
Andra Velis Simon

Music Director / Conductor
Wilson Chin

Scenic Design
Raquel Adorno

Costume Design
Heather Gilbert

Lighting Design
John Shivers

Co-Sound Design
David Patridge

Co-Sound Design
Mike Tutaj

Video Design
Kelley Jordan

Wig Design
Kelsey Tippins

Production Stage Manager

Artist Spotlight: Jessica Vosk

As part of the 106th Muny season, we’re excited to debut a feature we’re calling Artist Spotlight. Meet Jessica Vosk, our Jenna in Waitress!

Learn More

Cast

JESSICA VOSK

Jenna

Muny: Chess (Florence) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). She is currently developing the role of Cee Cee Bloom in the musical adaptation of Beaches, which just had its international premiere. Jessica is best known for her star turn as Elphaba in Wicked, both on tour and in the 15th Anniversary Broadway company. Additional credits include the Broadway productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, The Bridges of Madison County and Sarah Silverman’s Bedwetter at Atlantic Theater Company. Jessica is an accomplished concert artist, completing her first 20-city solo tour last year and playing Carnegie Hall twice in one season. Having started with a career in finance, her one-of-a-kind story was covered by ABC’s 20/20 and NBC Nightly News.

DEVIN DeSANTIS

Dr. Pomatter

New York: Radio City Christmas Spectacular (singer). Off-Broadway: The Magdalene. Regional: The Matchbox Magic Flute (Goodman), Kinky Boots, Next to Normal, The Who’s Tommy, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Into the Woods, Les Misérables (Paramount Theatre), Emma, The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Parade (Writers Theatre),Young Frankenstein, Hot Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance (Drury Lane Theatre), Anyone Can Whistle, The Most Happy Fella (Ravinia), Godspell, City of Angels, Honeymoon in Vegas, Shenandoah (Marriott Theatre). Devin is a regular guest artist with the Colorado Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Wyoming Symphony.

LISSA deGUZMAN

Dawn

She was last seen in St. Louis as Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked. Currently on Broadway as the Elphaba standby. Other Broadway credits include King Kong and Disney’s Aladdin. National tours: Wicked (Elphaba), Disney’s Aladdin (Jasmine). Regional: Fiddler on the Roof (The Muny, 2016), Bliss (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Chasing Rainbows (Goodspeed Opera House), Camelot (Cape Playhouse), Legally Blonde (Kansas City Starlight), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Drury Lane), West Side Story and Les Misérables (Studio Tenn). BFA Belmont University.

NICOLE MICHELLE HASKINS

Becky

The Color Purple (Muny, St. Louis Theater Circle Award and Drury Lane Theatre, Jeff Award); US premiere of Hopelessly Devoted (Piven Theatre); Caroline, or Change (Firebrand Theatre, Black Theatre Alliance nomination); The Spitfire Grill (Refuge Theatre Project, Jeff nomination); The Wiz (Kokandy Productions, Black Theatre Alliance, Jeff and Time Out Chicago nominations); The Music Man; Father Comes Home From the Wars: Parts 1, 2 and 3; How to Catch Creation (Goodman Theatre), world premiere of HeLa (Sideshow Theatre), Midwest premiere of Mutt (Stage Left Theatre with Red Tape Theatre).

CLEAVANT DERRICKS

Joe

Broadway: Michael Bennett’s Dreamgirls (Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Featured Actor, LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Vocal Arrangements), Bob Fosse’s Big Deal (Tony and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actor), Vinnette Carroll’s Your Arms Too Short to Box With God and But Never Jam Today, Broadway revival of Hair, Brooklyn (OBC), Wicked (Wizard). National tours: The Full Monty (NAACP Theatre Award for Best Actor), Wicked (Wizard). Film: Moscow on the Hudson, The Slugger’s Wife, Offbeat, Carnival of Souls, Bluffing It, World Traveler. TV series regular in Sliders, Thea, Drexell’s Class, Good Sports, Woops!

BEN CRAWFORD

Earl

Muny: Oliver! (Bill Sykes), Titanic (Frederick Barrett), Footloose (Chuck Cranston), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (The Beast). Broadway: Les Misérables, Shrek (Shrek), Big Fish (Don Price), On the Twentieth Century, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mr. Salt), The Phantom of the Opera (Phantom, 35th Anniversary). New York: Merrily We Roll Along, Irma La Douce (NY City Center Encores!), 35mm, Jasper in Deadland (Ryan Scott Oliver). Tour: Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson). Regional: Evita (Che), Oklahoma! (Jud Fry), Next to Normal (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine), Assassins (John Wilkes-Booth), A New Brain (Gordon Schwinn), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Bob Wallace), Soul Doctor (Shlomo Carlebach) and A Little Night Music (Carl Magnus).

JONAH D. WINSTON

Cal

Chicago: Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Big Fish, Damn Yankees (Marriott Theatre), Avenue Q, Little Shop of Horrors, Clue, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot (Mercury Theater Chicago, multiple Jeff nominations and awards), A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), Parade (Writers Theatre). Tours: The Play That Goes Wrong, Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow. Regional: Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Play House, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Opera: The Merry Widow, Jesus Christ Superstar, Louder! Longer! Wagner! (Lyric Opera of Chicago).

TROY IWATA

Ogie

made his Broadway debut in Be More Chill (2019). Troy can be seen as one of the new correspondents on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. He recently starred in the hit independent film Summoning Sylvia, a queer-horror-comedy. Troy recurred on the Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed (Damian Saito, with Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway) and also starred in the Netflix series Dash & Lily, which garnered 12 Emmy nominations. Other TV: New Amsterdam (NBC), Katy Keene (The CW), Ray Donovan (Showtime), Tell Me a Story (CBS), Quantico (ABC) and Time After Time (ABC).

TORRI TRIPOLI

Lulu

is 6 years old and attends kindergarten in St. Louis. She belongs to St. Louis Spirits Gymnastics Club and dances at Professional Dance Center, where she is a member of the Ensemble competition team.

CAITLIN WITTY

Standby for Jenna

National tour: Acoustic Rooster (The Kennedy Center). Regional: Alice Bliss (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Workshop), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Sister Act (Arrow Rock Lyceum), Jesus Christ Superstar (ACT of CT), Swingtime Canteen (Ivoryton Playhouse, Arrow Rock Lyceum), The Little Mermaid (STL Variety Children’s Theatre), Elf (The Little Theatre on the Square), Newsies (Crane River Theatre).

Ensemble and Swings

Kaley Bender, Harter Clingman, Arnold Harper II, Alia Hodge, Josh Hoon Lee, Patricia Jewel, Vaughn Mariani, Gabriel Mudd, Owen Scales, Kaitlyn Louise Smith and Erica Stephan

Creative Team

LILI-ANNE BROWN

Director

2022’s The Color Purple and 2023’s Rent. The Chicago South Side native works as a director, actor and educator, and has directed, performed in and produced many award-winning shows in Chicago and nationally. The former artistic director of Bailiwick Chicago, she focused programming on Chicago-premiere musicals and new work development with resident playwrights. Last year she received the Helen Hayes Award for her direction of Ain’t No Mo’ at Woolly Mammoth and Baltimore Center Stage.

CHLOE O. DAVIS

Choreographer

Choreography: Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC), A New Brain (Barrington Stage), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (The Rev), My Tribute to Black Broadway and Black Choreographers (The Muny), Broadway Bares (Hammerstein Ballroom) and Paradise Square (Broadway, Associate Choreographer). Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography and The Award for Best Choreography by Broadway Black. Favorite performance credits: Hell’s Kitchen (Broadway), Paradise Square (Broadway), Porgy and Bess (The Met), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix), Harlem (Amazon), Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC), Camille A. Brown and Dancers, and Philadanco. Currently developing her own choreographic work called The Memorial.

ANDRA VELIS SIMON

Music Director

Regional: Actors Theatre of Louisville, A.R.T. in Cambridge, BAM, Berkeley Rep, NYU Skirball Center, Olney Theatre Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, People’s Light. Chicago: Firebrand Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, the US premiere of London Road (Shattered Globe Theatre), the world premiere of La Ruta (Steppenwolf, Theater Wit), and multiple actor-musician productions with The Hypocrites and Chicago Children’s Theatre, among others. Most recently, Velis Simon was the music supervisor for the first regional production of The Band’s Visit, co-produced by TheatreSquared of Arkansas and Writers Theatre, outside Chicago. In addition, she has taught musical theatre performance at the college level since 2008 and recently completed a short-term residency at Grinnell College. Member AFM.