Broadway's Waitress Ends Return Run Two Weeks Early

The return Broadway engagement of Waitress has closed two weeks early. The musical, which features a score by  Sara Bareilles, book by Jessie Nelson, direction by Diane Paulus and choreography by Lorin Latarro, played its final performance at the Barrymore Theatre on December 20 after originally being scheduled to end its limited run on January 9, 2022.

The final cast featured Ciara Renée as Jenna, Joshua Henry  as Dr. Pomatter, Tyrone Davis Jr. as Ogie, Eric Anderson as Cal, Ashley Blanchet as Dawn, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Maiesha McQueen as Becky and Ben Thompson as Earl. The ensemble featured 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.

“It has been such an honor to bring Waitress to Broadway," producer Barry Weissler, speaking for his co-producer and wife Fran and himself, said in a statement. "We feel so blessed to have been able to continue playing when Broadway returned in September of this year. We are heartbroken that the COVID virus won’t allow us to finish our glorious scheduled run. Our brilliant creative team worked together seamlessly to create an exceptional show. Watching Sara Bareilles take her innate skills as a brilliant pop singer/songwriter to also become a natural Broadway composer/lyricist has been especially rewarding to observe. We have also been blessed with the greatest actors, musicians and other company members working in the theater today whose dogged commitment has kept the show as fresh as the day we opened."

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