Alison Luff on the 'Imperfect Nature' of Waitress & Writing a Musical with Her Husband

Alison Luff has been learning all about sugar, butter and flour since she joined Waitress on Broadway, leading the show as Jenna Hunterson. Luff is the newest addition to the incredible group of women who have stepped into Jenna's shoes and she's loving every minute of it. "I find it a little trickier to replace in a show because you want to honor the people who have done it before you," Luff said in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I think I really started to own myself and my career when I realized I can't do what they do better. I need to figure out what I do best and what I can offer that no one else can. [Jenna] was a dream role of mine back when I saw [Waitress] in November 2016. The first five minutes of watching it I had tears in my eyes, I turned to my husband and said, 'I have to do this.' I think about that almost every night when that curtain goes up. I like the imperfect nature of the story. It's hard to make an affair a love story and make people root for it. I really love doing it."

Now appearing alongside Luff are YouTube stars Colleen Ballinger and Todrick Hall, whose fans have given Luff even more joy. "Colleen and Todrick have brought in some really beautiful fans," she said. "I think one of my favorite things is going to the stage door every night and hearing, 'This is my first Broadway show.' We all remember our first Broadway show. Their fans are so kind and sweet and I think that's a testament to them. They're very kind people who spend so much time with their fans and are open with them, it makes a difference."

When Luff is not on stage bringing a story to life, she is working with husband Matt Magnusson on their band called The Bones. "My husband and I are both actors, so we do have this storytelling background and we really try to use music as a form of storytelling when we write," she said. "We actually have been commissioned to write a musical and we're in the process of writing it at the moment."

With only a few weeks left as Jenna (Luff's final performance is September 15), she is starting to look back on her journey to the diner. "Jenna has been such a gift and it's been a dream role," she said. "There are so many lessons she's taught me like leaning into the imperfections of who you are, because her imperfections really shine. The line we always remember is, 'She's messy but she's kind.' Kindness will go a long way and things can get messy, but as long as you stay true—you're going to stay on track."

See Luff in Waitress, playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive episode below!