North Shore Music Theatre’s heartwarming and meaningful musical Waitress shows life’s most important answers can be found in a pie. 

Mixed with Kevin P. Hill’s innovative direction, Ashley Chasteen’s uplifting chorography, and Milton Granger’s mellifluous music direction, North Shore Music Theatre serves up musical dramedy Waitress live and in person at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 15.  This immersive production runs 2 hours and 35 minutes with a 15 minute intermission and the action is not limited to the stage.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Since screenwriter Adrienne Shelly brought Waitress to the big screen in 2007 starring Keri Russell as Jenna, Waitress has enjoyed an enduring history.  With book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Grammy award-winning and Tony award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, Waitress has since been adapted into a musical and debuted on Broadway in 2016 before going on a national tour and in 2023, hit theatres as a filmed stage musical starring Bareilles as Jenna.

Full of heart, Waitress strikes a delicate balance between the sweetness and sobering realism of life, delving into the lives of a group of colorful and comical individuals who dream of a better life.  Baker and waitress Jenna, portrayed with humble and self deprecating charm by Christine Dwyer, expresses her moods and philosophies through the humorous titles she gives to Joe’s daily Diner Pie of the Day.  When Jenna finds herself pregnant, she quickly realizes that it’s time for a change.  Impressive songs range from catchy to reflective and numbers like Opening Up to the soft melodious whispers of What’s Inside are sure to stay with you long after the show is over.

What makes North Shore Music Theatre unique is its theatre-in-the-round staging and director Kevin P. Hill makes the most of the aisles and multiple platforms to deliver an encompassing experience.  The ensemble not only depicts diner customers, but often surrounds the stage lending musical accompiament and interacting with the action onstage.  From a bright chrome neon sign, chalkboard easel listing pies, and linoleum flooring to worn recipes and a mouthwatering Diner menu, scenic and lighting designer Jack Mehler’s rising and sliding set pieces shift seamlessly to occasionally portray multiple scenes simultaneously from various locations around the theatre with the majority of Waitress set inside picturesque Joe’s Pie Diner.  Glancing at the appetizing selections and hearing about Jenna’s incredibly creative and delectable pie ingredients made me long for lunch or dessert and inspiring me to bake my own pie.

Christine Dwyer delivers an inspiring and relatable vulnerability as Jenna.  Dwyer portrays Jenna’s complex web of emotions and generational trauma with a blend of dark humor and a note of optimism.  Her voice is as rich as the pies she bakes and her intense rendition of She Used to Be Mine is one of the show’s greatest highlights.  Her awkward exchanges, humorous misunderstandings, and beautiful harmony with handsome and geeky Brandon Kalm as Dr. Pomatter are prevalent in the playful It Only Takes a Taste which is one of three duets, flirtatious Bad Idea and a tender rendition of You Matter to Me.  

Dressed in a plaid shirt, worn jeans, and work boots, Matt DeAngelis is a standout as gruff and manipulative Earl.  With a guttural growl punctuating his rock n roll vocals for You will Still be Mine, DeAngelis seems to relish in the role through dark humor and creative in the character’s thoughtlessness.

Brandi Chavonne Massey delivers a great deal of comic relief as outspoken and wise cracking waitress Becky, especially in Massey’s sharp exchanges with Arnold Harper II as Cal.  Passionate, direct, and sympathetic, Massey shines in the soaring number, I Didn’t Plan It.

In bright red glasses, Maggie Elizabeth May portrays waitress Dawn with her own magnetic and giddy comedic timing.  Dreamy and shy, Dawn deems herself ‘a woman of many passions’ and is enchanting performing the yearning number, When He Sees Me as imaginary suitors line up to meet her.  Alongside Courter Simons as scene stealing Ogie, they are a comedic force to be reckoned with.  Dawn, Becky, and Jenny are a compelling trio making marvelous harmony together for A Soft Place to Land.

Gleeful and goofy with a habit of over sharing, Courter Simmons is confident and awkwardly charming with a bungle of flawless, unsuppressed energy as Ogie, especially during the steadfast number, Never Getting Rid of Me. 

In a colorful suit and tie, Keith Lee Grant is curmudgeonly eloquent as difficult customer and diner owner, Joe.  A complicated and perceptive storyteller, his conversations and rapport with Jenna are full of humor and openness, especially during a bright and spirited rendition of Take it from an Old Man.  Speaking to the uplifting spirit of this engaging production, Joe proclaims, ‘Baking a pie is a magical experience.’

Life is a little sweeter with North Shore Music Theatre’s Waitress continuing live and in person at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 15.  Click here for more information and for tickets.