Waitress at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham: “Heartwarming and uplifting” — theatre review
The musical stars Carrie Hope Fletcher
A feel-good show with a host of award nominations, Waitress has a star-studded cast and plenty of toe-tapping tunes.
We went and reviewed it on its UK tour during its visit to the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on its press night. It is currently touring the UK until October this year (waitressthemusical.co.uk).
If you’re looking for August events in Nottingham, Waitress is playing at the Royal Concert Hall until August 15 (from £25pp, trch.co.uk). For more reviews like this, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
Waitress at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham theatre review
★★★★
By Charlotte Brudenell
Waitress is such an emotional modern musical. It follows the story of Jenna – a diner waitress with a flair for making pies, who falls pregnant with her abusive husband’s child. The show is all about the importance of friendship and love, as well as leaving those who do you wrong.
Written by Jessie Nelson and pop singer Sara Bareilles, it made its Broadway debut 10 years ago, and then made its official West End debut in 2019. It is based on the 2007 film of the same name. Since its debut, the show has been nominated for a Tony, a Grammy, and also an Olivier Award.
I thought this show was beautiful. It really tugs at the heartstrings, with the perfect mix of comedic relief as well.
Musical theatre legend Carrie Hope Fletcher starred as Jenna, the title role. Her voice never fails to blow me away – she played the role so well, and I personally believe the backlash she has received over this run is entirely unnecessary. There is certainly a reason for how Carrie has gotten to play so many amazing theatre roles, and it can be seen from how she pours every emotion into it, ensuring we get the perfect performance.
Ogie, played by Mark Anderson, was absolutely hilarious. He never missed a beat and never failed to make the audience laugh whenever he was on stage. He absolutely nailed the role and was the comedic relief the show needed in its darkest moments.
I also really enjoyed Les Dennis as Old Joe. He was so funny and perfectly encapsulated the grumpy-but-secretly-kind old man persona. Take It From an Old Man was one of my favourite songs of the show – it was very sweet, and he performed it so well.
The musical is accompanied by a pop and contemporary soundtrack, with some folk and country undertones in there too. Though it sounds like a ‘typical’ modern musical score, I loved it. There is a wonderful balance of ballads, uplifting songs and some with a bit more energy.
For those who are fans of Sara Bareilles, it is definitely her style of music, and you can instantly tell as the musical starts. The band is on stage throughout the whole musical, which I always love as I enjoy seeing them play the music while the show is going on. As they’re not hidden away in the orchestra pit, they get the true recognition they deserve, as the musical would not be the same without these musicians.
I also liked the set – there was minimal use of screens, which I always love to see. The props are amazing as well. When Jenna is making pies, it seems they use real cooking ingredients, which makes it feel a bit more real. There is a lot of flour used as well – during the interval, you could see them cleaning it all off the stage! I really love when a creative team gets inventive with the props to add to the atmosphere.
What let the musical down slightly, and to no fault of the cast, was that it felt a bit quiet. I’m not sure if there were sound issues at this performance or not, but there were many times when the performers’ voices didn’t seem to fill the stage. It makes me wonder if it would have been better at the Theatre Royal, which is a slightly smaller venue.
As well as this, even though I loved the set, there were clunky black set partition-curtains that moved at the sides of the stage depending on the scene. I thought they took away from the set and made the stage look a bit bare. If they had been normal curtains instead of what looked like big black floor-to-ceiling boxes, it may not have looked as bulky and out of place.
Nonetheless, this is a heartwarming and uplifting musical, and I really hope it gets another residency in London or goes on another tour in the future. It spreads some extremely important messages and highlights the importance of happiness and living your life how you want to – even if there are bumps along the way which may be difficult to overcome.
Waitress is playing at the Royal Concert Hall until August 15 (from £25pp, trch.co.uk) and touring the UK until October 2026 (waitressthemusical.co.uk).
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