Pictured: Broadway run of hit musical Waitress to which is set to transfer to London's West End Adelphi Theatre in 2019.
Waitress is based on the 2007 film of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. The West End transfer will make history, mirroring its Broadway counterpart, as the first West End musical with an all-female, top-tier creative team. The book is written by Jessie Nelson who is currently writing the sequel to Disney's wildly popular 2007 film Enchanted starring Amy Adams, to be titled Disenchanted. She also wrote, directed and produced Corrina, with Whoopi Goldberg and I Am Sam with Sean Penn.
Music and lyrics to the production come from six-time Grammy Award nominee Sara Bareilles, well known for her 2007 breakout hit "Love Song" and 2013 song "Brave". She has sold over nine million singles and downloads in the US alone. Her sophomore album Little Voice reached number one in twenty-two countries worldwide and her fifth album, the soundtrack to this musical earned her both a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score and a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album. She is nominated in this year's Emmy Awards as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture for her role in Jesus Christ Superstar Live!
Director Diane Paulus was selected for TIME magazine's 2014 TIME 100 list as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the A.R.T. at Harvard University. She says of the production: “I am absolutely thrilled that Waitress is coming to the beautiful Adelphi Theatre! It is a dream come true to share this musical with London audiences.” She was also featured in Variety's "Trailblazing Women in Entertainment for 2014".
Choreographer Lorin Latarro's work includes Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart's Waiting For Godot at London's Haymarket Theatre and more recently Les Liasons Dangereuses with Janet McTeer and Liev Schrieber on Broadway.
Sara Bareilles enthuses: “I cannot contain my excitement that we will be bringing Waitress to the West End! This is a dream come true! And I must say, to be hosted in a theatre co-owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Nederlander Group makes this very sweet moment even sweeter. We are so proud of this beautiful show, and can't wait to share the story of Jenna with a whole new audience and welcome them into the world of Waitress with open arms and plenty of pie.”
Waitress tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress in an abusive and loveless relationship with her husband Earl. An expert pie maker, she dreams of a way out and a baking contest in a local county as well as the town's new doctor both offer her hope. Her fellow waitresses offer their own words of wisdom while Jenna finds the strength and courage within herself to find happiness and rebuild her life.
Further announcements as to the cast as well as the on-sale date for tickets will be announced in due course.