A.R.T., which announced Dec. 11 that it would produce Waitress as the opening production of its 2015-16 season, has been holding New York workshops of the new musical for the past several weeks. The theatre posted photos from the workshop, identifying much of the cast, on its official Facebook page.
It had been previously reported by the New York Times that Mueller, a 2014 Best Actress in a Musical Tony winner, was participating in the workshops and had tapped Waitress as her next musical role post Beautiful.
Representatives for A.R.T. declined to confirm Mueller's involvement to the press.
The A.R.T. photo gallery reveals that Mueller did star in the central role of Jenna, "an inventive waitress trapped in a small-town diner and a loveless marriage. Pregnant and lonely, Jenna finds relief in making creatively-titled pies — and in a budding romance with an unlikely newcomer."
Photographed alongside Mueller in the Waitress workshops are Christopher Fitzgerald, Amber Iman, Bryce Pinkham, Andy Karl, Keala Settle, Dierdre Friel and Barrett Wilbert Weed, among others. No casting for the A.R.T. premiere has been announced, and as is the case with many musicals in development, workshop participants do not reflect future casting for the production.
Playbill.com broke the news of Waitress in June 2013 when Tony Award-winning producers Barry and Fran Weissler revealed that they were collaborating with their Tony-winning Pippin director Diane Paulus on the new musical to be scored by Grammy Award nominee Bareilles.
Waitress will begin previews in Cambridge, MA, Aug. 1, 2015. Paulus is the artistic director of A.R.T.
"Corrina Corrina" screenwriter, director and producer Jessie Nelson has penned the book for Waitress.
A Broadway run is likely for the high-profile project, though official plans are not in place. The Weissler's Tony-winning revival of Pippin premiered at A.R.T. prior to its acclaimed Broadway arrival. They are also attached to the A.R.T. production of The Heart of Robin Hood, which arrives on Broadway this spring at the Marquis Theatre.
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Below, Bareilles performs "She Used to Be Mine" in concert and describes how the song fits into Waitress.
