Waitress to open up (again) on Broadway starring Sara Bareilles

It once seemed Broadway's return might be a pie in the sky dream, but now that the Great White Way is opening up, Waitress is ready to return too.

On Wednesday, producers announced the musical, which previously ended its nearly four-year Broadway run in Jan. 2020, will return to the stage for a limited engagement. Waitress composer Sara Bareilles will also return to portray the lead role of Jenna.

"I couldn't miss the opportunity to be there when Broadway welcomes audiences back into theaters that have been sitting dark for over a year," Bareilles said in a statement. "It is a gift to get to revisit the beautiful story of Waitress, centered around hope, resilience, and the support of our chosen family. It's so special to be able to celebrate those same qualities at this moment in time within our theater family. Like so many people all over the world, this community has endured great loss and tremendous hardship, and we are all changed. But with this change comes powerful motivation to bring what we have learned and experienced this past year to make something even more beautiful and more intentional. Broadway is grit and grace, magic and mayhem, and I can't wait to feel the electricity that pulses through all of us as the curtains rise once again."

The musical, which follows waitress and gifted pie-maker Jenna as she wrestles with finding herself amidst an abusive marriage, the prospect of a baby, and an unexpected love affair with her OB-GYN, is set to return for a limited engagement.

The production returns beginning Sept. 2 and will run through Jan. 9, 2022, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Bareilles will star from Sept. 2 through Oct. 17.

Waitress opened on Broadway in April 2016 and ran until Jan. 2020. Based on the 2007 film from Adrienne Shelly, it marked the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the top creative team spots. It features a book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and was directed by Diane Paulus.

"Broadway is back! Waitress is so much more than just a great musical returning home," said producers Fran and Barry Weissler in a statement. "The show is a prime example of resilience, in the same way that New Yorkers and all Americans have grown over that last year. And Broadway is returning as the engine that drives New York City's recovery, drawing audiences from around the world to be wowed, to celebrate, to cry and to laugh again. We are so proud to be part of that celebration. New York City is alive again!"

Further casting details are still to be announced. The Waitress family lost one of their own to COVID-19 this past year, with the passing of Broadway star Nick Cordero, who originated the role of Earl.

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