Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"..."Waitress" meets these characters where they're at and acknowledges that, while they may be "types," the truth is that most of us fall into recognizable categories when we're sitting on the shelf in the glass case - just some mix of "sugar, flour, butter," as Jenna's baking mantra tells us. But the richness and flavor of our stories can't come out unless life slices us up and tells the world, "Here. Try this. It might surprise you.""
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"..."Waitress" is also very funny. Much of the humor comes from choreographer Lorin Latarro, who can take characters from "50 Shades" eroticism ("Bad Idea") to positively goofy ("I Love You Like a Table.") Only a gifted artist could turn the iconic "George Washington Crossing the Delaware" into an image of unbridled eroticism."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...Though not perfect, "Waitress the Musical" is a tasty musical drama on challenges faced by working-class American women. Go for Bareilles' soaring score, plus all of the powerful performances."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...But my wife couldn't shrug off the notion of a doctor getting intimate with a patient, even if director Diane Paulus stages those intimacies in a way that makes Jenna's willing participation utterly clear. In the time of #MeToo, Pomatter's behavior may need to be confronted with something more than a song."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...As channeled through a live onstage band, Bareilles’s rowdy, casually frank ballads are the perfect match for musical theatre. When listening to her melodies, it’s hard not to feel like Bareilles is your best friend—the kind who will tell you to your face that the guy you’re dating is an asshole. Not one song into Waitress and you start to wonder: Why has it taken Bareilles this long to write a musical? And when is she penning another?"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Chicago theater audiences have been waiting for the arrival of “Waitress”, making its Chicago debut, but a musical that has some unique ties to our city. The workshop and Broadway opening starred Jessie Mueller in the title role of Jenna. While I am sure that her followers were hoping that she would have done at least the Chicago portion of the tour, the young lady that is playing this role, Desi Oakley, is wonderful and will fill your heart and soul with the same emotions that Jessie would have."
WTTW - Somewhat Recommended
"...The show, which opened on Broadway in 2016 (where it is still running), and is now in a national touring production, has its tragicomic charms. But Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre is far too big a venue for this essentially intimate story. And while the musical features a fine onstage band and exuberant cast, the overall sound system for the show is notably unbalanced, resulting in both the song lyrics and dialogue often being blurred or indecipherable."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Sara Bareilles’ Tony nominated musical, based upon the beloved film of the same name, is both humorous and heartbreaking. It features an unforgettable score that bathes audiences in warm memories, gentle plot twists and unexpected moments of humor. Featuring a stellar cast, a fantastic onstage band and directed by Broadway legend, Diane Paulus, this confection of a musical is as satisfying as one of Jenna’s creative pies, made from sugar…butter…and flour…and baked with lots of love."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...WAITRESS isn’t a big blockbuster musical. It’s much more simple and complicated than that. It isn’t a fancy creme brulee. It’s real life pie! The storytelling and the acting combine for a flavorful morsel of true Americana."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Directed by Diane Paulus with choreography by Lorin Latarro the show is a finely tuned translation by screenwriter Jessie Nelson’s book and multi-Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles’ music and lyrics of Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...This is an uplifting and joyful play that, under Diane Paulus’s direction, zips along very quickly. Small touches like having the onstage orchestra and ensemble clapping for Jenna and Dr. Pommater or clever ensemble choreography highlighting some of Jenna’s dreamed inventive pies abound, allowing the background players to have as much fun as the main cast. And it is clear that this excellent cast is indeed having a good time, which is the recipe for Standing Ovation Pie, a heaping serving of which was doled out at the end of Tuesday night’s opening performance."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...The musical (Book-Jessie Nelson and Music/Lyrics by Sara Bareilles) is based on an earlier film by Adrienne Shelley. The music – even when lyrics are about serious stuff- have, at least for this writer a light as whipped cream on a good pie feel that lightens up the underlying story. It’s so light and breezy one can imagine it as good summer family outing fare. BUT- and it’s a big BUT—it’s a plot line full of philandering and illicit affairs, which means a Parental Guidance warning may be in order."
