West End musical Waitress announces early closing due to COVID-19
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
It had all the right ingredients, but sadly the London production of Waitress has announced that the diner will probably not be reopening. The musical was originally meant to run at the Adelphi Theatre until the 4th of July. Ticketholders to Waitress The Musical will be contacted in due course by their point of sale, and refunds for performances confirmed to be cancelled will be processed automatically.
Waitress announces it won't be returning this summer as hoped
The multi-award-nominated musical has announced that it's London run has ended and will not be returning to the West End's Adelphi Theatre once venues reopen. The production did offer a glimmer of hope, however, stating: "If things do change and there is a world in which we believe we could continue a run at the Adelphi before 4 July, we will be in touch with you."
However, due to the period of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, this seems highly unlikely at this time.
Lucie Jones, who played Jenna Hunterson in the West End before Sara Bareilles and was due to reprise the role on 23 March, shared a video of her first night as Jenna on Twitter, stating: "My heart is broken. This video is from my first night as Jenna. I’ll never forget any of this. Thank you to the incredible cast crew and fan family of Waitress London: you hold an incredibly special place in my heart."
Waitress first opened in the West End on 7 March 2019. It is directed by Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus and features music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, a book by Jessie Nelson, and choreography by Lorin Latarro. It is based on the hit film of the same name and centres on Jenna Hunterson, a small-town girl in an abusive marriage who dreams of leaving her job at Joe's Diner by winning the grand prize at a local pie-baking contest.
The musical is still expected to embark on a UK and Ireland tour, which will begin in Dublin in November.