Ciara Renée to Star as Jenna in Waitress on Broadway

This news is as sweet as pie! Broadway alum Ciara Renée will step in as the next Jenna in Waitress. She will begin performances on November 25 at the Barrymore Theatre, replacing Jennifer Nettles, who will play her final performance on November 24.

Renée was last seen on Broadway as Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. Her other Broadway credits include Big Fish and Pippin. She was nominated for a 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for her performance in Ross Golan's The Wrong Man off-Broadway. She recently wrapped the independent feature Paint opposite Owen Wilson and the independent dramedy Deborah earlier this year. Her additional screen credits include The Big Bang Theory, Strangers, Master of None, Legends of Tomorrow and more.

The current Broadway cast of Waitress includes Eric Anderson as Cal, Ashley Blanchet as Dawn, Nik Dodani as Ogie, Erich Bergen as Dr. Pomatter, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Maiesha McQueen as Becky and Ben Thompson as Earl. The ensemble features Tyrone Davis, Jr., Matt DeAngelis, Andrew Fitch, Henry Gottfried, Molly Jobe, Emily Koch, Anastacia McCleskey, Olivia Webber Olesen, Gerianne Pérez, Charlotte Surak, Curtis Thomas, Stephanie Torns and Nyla Watson.

Waitress features a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Diane Paulus.

Waitress reopened on Broadway on September 2. The original production opened in April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and earned four Tony nominations, including Best Musical. It closed on January 5, 2020.