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BY KAREN BOSSICK “Waitress: The Musical” is a slice of raw humanness served up with a dollop of humor. And The Liberty Theatre Company has baked it to near perfection as it stages the musical this July. The play, under the direction and choreography of Naomi McDougall Jones, doesn’t sugarcoat the domestic violence that is part of the play, but there’s enough catchy tunes and laughs that the audience need not wallow in it.
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Tess Makena, whose first Liberty Theatre performance was “Grey Gardens,” plays a distraught waitress trying to dig herself out of a hole. PHOTO: Kirsten Shultz
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Did we mention that the split timing choreography for such a large cast aptly evokes thoughts of a busy diner? And the set is catchy cool, decorated with crocheted pies, believe it or not, purchased from a company in Canada that recently performed the show. “They’re made of different types of fabric and actually hold up really, really well, even under close scrutiny,” said actor Chris Carwithen. “They’re so incredibly well-made that they make us all very hungry each night.” The musical stars Tess Makena as Jenna, a waitress who faces a fork in the road when she learns she is unexpectedly pregnant in an unhappy marriage.
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Chris Carwithen is unrecognizable but worth a thousand laughs as he woos Talitha McDougall Jones’ Dawn. PHOTO: Kirsten Shultz
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Her solution; A pie baking contest which could give her $20,000 to break away and start a new life. Matt Musgrove plays her buffoonish husband who worries that she will love the baby more than he but never lets you forget his name is “Earl.” Rachel Aanestad nails her role as Cal the grill man, while Anne-lise Koyabe brings a strong woman persona with a touch of the Deep South to the play. Chris Carwithen is side-splitting funny in his role as Ogie, who has a thing for Talith McDougall Jones’ somewhat shy dorky target of his affection. Courtney Loving plays Jo, the hard owner of the diner who has something up her sleeve. Jonathan Acorn plays the somewhat befuddled Dr. Pomatter, who makes a play for Jenna, even though both he and she are married, and Eryn Alvey brings a certain chilling, know-too-much quality to the role of Nurse Norma.
Others in the cast are Lizzie Loving, Galena McCann, Charlotte Neal, Andrea Pettinger, Letti Thompson. Music is provided by Mike Frew, Ryker Harris, James McQuillen and Max Stimac. Oh, and the final piece of the cast is the audience, noted Carwithen. “The audience part is the missing piece of the puzzle,” he said. “It’s so wonderful when we have the preview night and finally get to see their reaction.”
If you haven’t seen “Waitress” yet, or want to see it again, you have four more nights. “Waitress: The Musical” runs through Saturday, July 12, at The Liberty Theater in Hailey. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $15 for students, available at https://tltctix.ludus.com/index.php?show_id=200487235.
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