Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz Starts Performances in Sara Bareilles' Waitress on Broadway

Glee’s Jenna Ushkowitz will begin performances as Dawn on July 29 in Waitress. She steps in for Kimiko Glenn, who is taking a leave of absence from the Tony-nominated tuner. Headlined by Tony winner Jessie Mueller, the Diane Paulus-helmed musical is baking up a storm at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Ushkowitz is best known for playing Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee. She made her Broadway debut at age nine in the 1996 revival of The King and I, and was in the original production of Spring Awakening, where she performed the roles of Ilse, Martha, Anna and Thea. Ushkowitz will be soon be seen starring in Tom Gustafson's musical movie, Hello, Again.

Waitress marks five-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles' stage-writing debut. Based on the 2007 film by the late Adrienne Shelly and book by Jessie Nelson, the tuner follows Jenna, a small town waitress stuck in a loveless marriage. As a nearby baking contest approaches (and a new doctor comes to town), she’s torn between her commitments and—thanks to her pie-making expertise—a chance at freedom.

The cast also includes Tony nominee Nick Cordero, Drew Gehling, Keala Settle, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Thay Floyd, Molly Hager, Aisha Jackson, Ragan Pharris and Ryan Vasquez.