Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway! to Premiere at 2023 Tribeca Film Festival

The Broadway live capture of Waitress, starring Sara Bareilles as Jenna, will debut at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival on June 12. The annual festival will run from June 7-18 in New York City. 

Waitress was filmed live during its return Broadway engagement in 2021.

Appearing alongside Bareilles will be Charity Angél Dawson as Becky, Caitlin Houlahan as Dawn, Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Eric Anderson as Cal, Joe Tippett as Earl and Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie. They will be joined by Tyrone Davis Jr., Matt DeAngelis, Andrew Fitch, Henry Gottfried, Emily Koch, Max Kumangai, Molly Jobe, Anastacia McCleskey, Gerianne Pérez, Stephanie Torns, Hattie Cecelia Tutalo, Nyla Watson and Nora Lincoln Weiner.

Also to be featured are band members Nadia DiGiallonardo, Yair Evnine, Adam Kaufman, Rich Mercurio, Lee Nadel and Meghan Toohey.

The live capture was directed by Brett Sullivan and Diane Paulus (who helmed the Broadway production). The musical’s book writer, Jessie Nelson, served as film creative advisor. The film is being produced by Michael Roiff, Barry and Fran Weissler (who produced the Broadway production), Bareilles, Nelson and Paul Morphos, with Alecia Parker as executive producer.

Waitress, based on the film written by Adrienne Shelly, features a Tony Award-nominated original score by Bareilles and a book by Nelson. 

The musical opened on Broadway on April 24, 2016, and ran at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (since renamed the Lena Horne Theatre) until Jan. 5, 2020. The production then returned for a limited engagement from Sept. 2, 2021 through Dec. 20 of that same year, ending its run prematurely due to COVID-19-related cancellations. Bareilles performed several stints in the role of Jenna across both productions.