Grammy winner and Tony and Emmy nominee Sara Bareilles will return to the central role of her musical Waitress, which will return to Broadway amid theatres’ post-pandemic reopening. Performances will begin September 2 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. (The musical originally played across the street at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre, now home to Six.)
The return engagement was first teased by producer Barry Weissler in a May 5 piece in the Wall Street Journal—and subsequent social posts by the production—though details have not been confirmed until now. The limited run is currently scheduled through January 9, 2022, with Bareilles slated to take center stage through October 17. Tickets are on sale now.
Bareilles earned a Tony nomination for her work composing the score of the show based on the 2007 film. The following year, she stepped into the role of Jenna, replacing original star Jessie Mueller. She ended up playing two more limited engagements throughout the run of the production and did a stint in London’s West End prior to the coronavirus shutdown.
Since making her Broadway debut in the musical, Bareilles has shown off her acting (and singing) chops in NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert—for which she earned an Emmy nod—and the new Peacock comedy series Girls5Eva.
Waitress originally opened on Broadway in April 2016 following a world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It made history as the first Broadway musical to have women in the top four creative spots: Bareilles, director Diane Paulus, book writer Jessie Nelson, and choreographer Lorin Latarro. Barry and Fran Weissler produce alongside Norton and Elayne Herrick.
Full casting will be announced later.
