“WAITRESS” through Sept. 30, Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main (801-355-2787 or artsaltlake.org); running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes (one intermission)
SALT LAKE CITY — Good things come to those who wait.
“Waitress,” the latest musical to hit Broadway at the Eccles, follows Jenna as she waits on customers in Joe’s Pie Diner and waits for her stale life to change.
Flanked by Dawn and Becky, two co-workers who are waiting on dreams of their own, Jenna draws strength from their friendship and finds solace in baking pies, while dreaming of stashing away enough dough to leave her abusive husband, Earl.
Things begin to change, though not necessarily for the better, when the pie baker finds out she’s got a bun in the oven. Jenna is less than thrilled with the prospect of having Earl’s baby and doubts her ability to be a good mom.
To complicate things, her lifelong doctor retires, leaving her in the hands of Dr. Pomatter. Jenna is initially turned off by her goofy new OB, but has a change of heart as Dr. Pomatter falls for her pies and then wants a piece of her too.
Having the doctor pay attention to her was just what the waitress ordered in some ways. The affair takes off, stirring up Jenna’s dead-end life.
Desi Oakley plays Jenna in the first half of the Salt Lake City run. On opening night, Oakley portrayed Jenna’s range of personas — from docile wife to confident friend to doting mother — seamlessly. There were times when Jenna sang about her deceased mom and Oakley momentarily transformed into a little girl, beautifully portraying Jenna's longing for her own mom. Oakley showed off her vocal range throughout the performance, with songs like "What Baking Can Do" allowing her voice to float effortlessly one minute and ring out strong the next.
The Tony Award-nominated “Waitress,” which runs through Sept. 30, also boasts a delightful cast of supporting actors a la carte. There’s the quirky and shy Dawn, played by Lenne Klingaman, who works at the diner along with the brassy and sassy Becky, played by Charity Angel Dawson, who has the diner’s most memorable one-liners.
The waitresses’ friendship is the best thing going for Jenna, and her two pals encourage her to say goodbye to Earl, played by Nick Bailey, who has a knack for leaving a bad taste in your mouth every second he’s on stage.
And just when it seemed the show was simply a funny one, Jeremy Morse, who plays Ogie, Dawn’s love interest, came in the picture. Morse served up lots of laughs in his declarative, over-the-top song “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me,” which was creepy but also endearingly funny. As the chipper Dr. Pomatter, Bryan Fenkart flawlessly executed the nerdy and engaging mannerisms of his character.
Two local girls, Essie Kathryn Barrett and Tessa Jensen, stepped on stage for the Salt Lake City run of this tour, alternating in the small role of Lulu, Jenna’s daughter.
Based on the 2007 Sundance hit, “Waitress” is still running on Broadway — one thousand-plus performances strong. Sara Bareilles, known largely for her pop hits like "Love Song," created a well-balanced score, including songs with folksy tunes (“What’s Inside”), quirky lyrics (“The Negative”) and thoughtful ballads (“She Used to Be Mine”), some of which are played on stage by the show’s six musicians.
As Jenna maneuvered the ups and downs of her relationships, the pies she created became a metaphor for her experiences. The show itself is a bitter and sweet, even salty at times, story about identity and strength when life — or pie — gets messy.
Content advisory: “Waitress” contains mature themes, including suggestive scenes and moments of spousal abuse and strong language.