Photos by Luis Escobar, Reflections Photography Studio
Let’s cut to the chase: Waitress, on stage ’til May 11 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, and scheduled June 19-July 6 at the Solvang Festival Theater, is one of the best musicals you’ll see at PCPA—or anywhere else for that matter—this year.
There’s only one cautionary note: the show contains mature language and themes, including sexual situations and domestic abuse, and therefore is recommended only for teens and up. Even those items are handled shrewdly and with discretion, adding to the sense that the musical is more than just a happy-go-lucky homage to a down-on-her-luck diner worker who dreams of bigger things.
Jenna (an absolutely wonderful Molly Dobbs) is the title character, but she isn’t alone eking out a living at Joe’s Pie Diner waiting tables and baking pies. Luckily for her (and for us) she has two friends, Dawn and Becky (played just as wonderfully by Natalie Mara and Bethany Thomas), who are with her all the way to eventual happiness (this is a comedic musical, remember, despite its mature themes). The happy ending, however, isn’t what you think it might be, adding to the warm feeling and admiration for the production you are bound to head home with.
Clearly the heart of this production is its director, Kitty Balay, who has been with PCPA as an artistic associate, resident artist, teacher, actor, and director since 1989. She takes the joy of Jenna’s “magical” pies and turns it into theatre magic for us, transforming a well-written script, the work of more than two dozen performers, and some incredible technical designs into a delicious, delightful delicacy that we can savor like the characters in Waitress enjoy Jenna’s wonderfully-named creations.
And those creations are everywhere: in a huge display case as part of Jason Bolen’s spacious yet inclusive set, as a stand-in for love (or lust?) when Jenna and Dr. Pomatter (Alexander Pimentel, with perfect wit and timing) discuss her Mermaid Marshmallow pie, and in every scene in the diner with the name of the pie of the day scrawled on the menu board. The show’s program quite properly gives a shout-out to PCPA’s “legendary prop director Tim Hogan” and his prop shop artists for the hand-crafted (but fake) pies used in the show, and thanks Spencer’s Fresh Market for providing the fresh pies for each production.
In addition to pies, there is a smorgasbord of musical numbers to enjoy as well. Music director Jake Cannon conducts a delectable band of musicians whose onstage presence throughout the show is a treat for the audience.
In addition to their fine acting, each of the female leads gets the chance to show off their big, big voices during the show, among them Mara in “When He Sees Me,” Thomas in the second-act opener “I Didn’t Plan It,” and Dobbs in the sentimental ballad “She Used To Be Mine” near the end of the show.
The male leads (including Pimentel) prove memorable as well for their acting chops, and they are all first-rate. Erik Stein as the tough-talking-but-a-real-pussycat-underneath diner cook is at his comic best. Andrew Philpot as the wizened owner of the diner gives just the right comedic twist to his dialogue and his big number, “Take It From an Old Man.” And George Walker playing Ogie—Dawn’s erstwhile suitor, tax auditor, and Civil War reenactment enthusiast—nearly stops the show near the end of the first act with his hilarious rendition of “Never Getting Rid of Me.”
Being the bad guy with no redeeming qualities in a comedy is hard, but Cordell Cole as Earl, Jenna’s abusive husband, gives a nuanced performance that is a testament to the intelligence and sensitivity of both actor and director.
Costume designer Caroline Rein has provided what can only be described as the perfect outfits for every single character. And finally, in a show that has multiple transitions involving different scenes and set pieces, Balay has worked the blocking, the music, and Keenon Hooks’ inspired choreography into a seamless whole that could serve as a master class in how to make a show run smoothly. Michael Palumbo’s lighting design and Jon Zielke’s sound design are impeccable and inextricable parts of this mix, of course, and the stage management skills of Jack D. Myles and his crew are a wonder to behold.
Whether you like pie or not, you absolutely should not miss this production of Waitress. It’s live, local theatre at its best.