Jenna (Lindsey Corey), Dawn (Becca Suskauer), and Becky (Kareema Khouri) in "Waitress." (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
South Florida performer extraordinaire Lindsey Corey dubs her current role “Mount Jenna.”
But while performers may face an uphill battle to successfully portray Jenna Hunterson in all her complexity and energy in "Waitress," Corey nails the part.
Under Artistic Director David Arisco’s inspired direction, Corey leads a large cast of talented performers in Actors’ Playhouse’s convincing, moving, and energetic professional production of the funny, timely, and touching musical “Waitress.”
The roughly two-and-a-half-hour production, which includes intermission, runs through Sunday, April 20 at Actors’ Playhouse’s 600-seat mainstage downstairs theater on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.
The actors are not the only ones onstage. In addition to them, we see members of the vibrant live band. The musicians accompany the cast under music director/associate director Stephen Christopher Anthony. While Anthony plays keyboard 1, Antulio Mora plays Keyboard 2, Julie Jacobs plays drums, Alvaro Bermudez Guitar 1, Edder Rivera Cello/Guitar 2, and Ranses Colon Bass.
Earl (Chris Stevens) and Jenna (Lindsey Corey) in "Waitress" at Actors' Playhouse. (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
Sara Bareilles’s complex, varied score blends pop, rock, and country styles, with influences from retro radio songstresses and rural American music. The melodies generally enhance mood and the lyrics allow the characters to express themselves on a deeper level.
If anybody can succeed in the demanding role of Hunterson, it is Corey. After all, she is a three-time Silver Palm Award recipient, and Carbonell Award winner.
Corey possesses a clear, expressive, and strong voice. Also, she exhibits impressive stage presence and acting skills, while carrying plenty of stamina. Case in point: In 2023, Corey shined at Actors’ Playhouse in “Defending the Cavewoman” by convincingly and energetically portraying more than 15 characters over 90 minutes with no intermission.
Now, the versatile Corey is back at Actors’ Playhouse. She is portraying a single character, but a complex one with emotional depth. She is onstage for most, if not all the show.
“Waitress,” with a book by Jessie Nelson and music by composer/lyricist Bareilles, is a faithful adaptation of the late Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 movie, also titled “Waitress.”
The show is about dreams as well as the healing and freeing power of art and creativity. In addition, the musical focuses on the power of friendship (close-knit women, a la “Steel Magnolias”). But at its heart, this musical is about finding the fortitude to speak your mind and free yourself from abuse and suffocation.
The last time “Waitress” played in South Florida was in 2019 as a national equity touring production. There was much going on politically then with Donald J. Trump in the White House then and now. “Waitress,” with its feminist tone was timely then and it is timely now.
“Waitress,” whose 2015 New York production featured Broadway’s first all-female creative team, takes place during the present in an unspecified small southern town.
Jenna (Lindsey Corey) and cast members appear in a scene from "Waitress." (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
Hunterson, the titular waitress at a small-town diner, finds herself stuck in an abusive marriage to Earl (Chris Stevens). She “escapes” her troubles by baking pies and naming them after her current emotional states and live events. For instance, she calls one of her baked treats “I Hate My Husband Pie,” and another “Pregnant, Miserable, Self-Pitying Loser Pie.”
People compliment Hunterson about her pies, and they are consistently hits with customers at the diner. So, she views an upcoming baking contest as a chance to win a windfall of money to escape her abusive life. But Earl presents a formidable foe. For instance, he steals all his wife’s tips, and is quick to explosive anger. He grows enraged after Hunterson hides her money to save up for the baking contest. But with Hunterson’s fellow waitresses and others on her side, as well as her tenacity, she finds the strength she needs to overcome her obstacles.
While “Waitress” is an empowering feminist tale, and the titular character is clearly the heroine, Hunterson is hardly perfect. Indeed, she is having an affair with her doctor (Ryan Everett Wood) even though she knows he is married.
Ogie (Nick Cearley) and the cast of "Waitress." (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
True, we pull for Hunterson because of her good qualities; she is talented, tenacious, and tender at times. However, maybe we also like her because she is human and imperfect, like us. Through this character, we might see and consider our own shortcomings.
While Hunterson is not completely heroic, Earl is not totally evil. In fact, he suffered broken dreams, and tends to be angry and emotionally unstable. That is due, at least in part, to alcohol. In addition, Earl can be charming and loving; in the song “You Will Still Be Mine,” he sings to his wife, “I wrote you love songs, and you liked that sad one, so I played it all the time.”
Obviously, Arisco wisely directed Stevens not to portray Earl as a monster without redeeming qualities. The actor finds his character’s soft side. But faster than you can blink your eyes, Stevens’ Earl turns menacing and explosively angry. Undoubtedly, you fear for Hunterson’s safety when he rages.
Certainly, tension grips the air during scenes between Hunterson and Earl. But a different kind of heat radiates from the stage during some scenes between Corey’s Hunterson and Wood’s Dr. Pomatter. In particular, we sense sexual energy between the performers (the show includes several convincingly intimate scenes. However, the program does not list an intimacy choreographer/director).
Jenna (Lindsey Corey) and Joe (Peter McClung). (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
Wood imbues Dr. Pomatter with an endearing earnestness, awkwardness, and charm. He is the type of person who tries so hard to be charming and likable, it becomes annoying after a while. Of course, we do not condone this physician’s decision to cheat on his wife, Francine (Catie Pires-Fernandes). But Wood injects his character with enough goodness to make him a mostly sympathetic character. And you cannot help but laugh when Dr. Pomatter uses his stethoscope as a spoon to eat one of our heroine’s pies.
Another likable character is Ogie. He has set his sights on Dawn (Becca Suskauer), one of Hunterson’s fellow waitresses.
Nick Cearley, who is portraying Ogie for the third time having played the role at other theaters, lends the character a seemingly endless supply of sunny energy and determination. You admire his persistence in courting Dawn, even if it can become stalker-ish after a while.
Cearley proves to be quite nimble as well. During one scene, under Michael Rader’s physical choreography, Cearley’s Ogie stands atop a table, tosses flowers to Dawn, leaps off the table, and jumps onto another character’s shoulders. In addition, Cearley’s Ogie performs a cartwheel.
Ogie sings a song titled “I Love You Like a Table” (huh?!). The title and lyrics sound odd, even when you consider Ogie’s eccentricities. "I will express this if I'm able. I love you like a table. My legs were carved for you. I love you like a table (oh, oh, oh, oh). I'm wood and you're glue. Cover me with stuff (oh, oh, oh, oh). And I will hold it up. Strong and stable. I love you like a table."
Opposite Cearley’s Ogie, a wide-eyed Suskauer injects Dawn with a winning cheerfulness. Wearing glasses and a pig tail atop her head of brownish hair, Suskauer’s Dawn looks a bit like the class nerd.
Jenna (Lindsey Corey) and Dr. Pomatter (Ryan Everett Wood). (Photo by Alberto Romeu/courtesy Actors' Playhouse)
Kareema Khouri, who wowed Actors’ Playhouse audiences as the titular character in “Caroline, or Change,” also makes her presence known as Becky. She is another one of the trio of waitresses in the show. Khouri is consistently commanding in the part, lending Becky a loud, brash demeanor. But Khouri also makes Becky sympathetic toward the show’s heroine.
In fact, the three performers who portray the waitresses exhibit a touching solidarity with each other. In one scene, the trio holds hands and leans on each other while one of the waitresses fix Dawn’s hair. It is a moving display of female bonding and support.
Another cast standout is Peter McClung. He nails diner owner Joe’s curmudgeonly crustiness, and sarcasm. But deep down, it is clear this elderly man has a good heart. And one of his actions will surely move you.
Leading the way is Corey. She is a performer with fire in her eyes, as well as vibrance, yet naturalism and nuance in her movement, gestures, and speech.
Corey, speaking with a believable southern accent, segues seamlessly between Hunterson’s many emotions. The performer radiates charm and warmth, but also movingly lends the titular waitress vulnerability, seduction, fierce determination, and impulsivity.
Significantly, when Corey’s Hunterson stands up to her husband for a final time, she sounds and looks like a fierce mother bear protecting her cubs. Touchingly, Hunterson holds her newborn baby when she demands that Earl get lost and never again approach them. You want to shout, “You go girl!” as you applaud Earl’s exit.
During tender scenes, the title waitress lovingly reads letters to her unborn baby. Several years later, Lulu appears as a toddler (a sweetly smiling Frida Kiglies.)
Behind the scenes, Brandon M. Newton’s detailed, realistic-looking set easily rotates to stand for the diner and Dr. Pomatter’s office. Other scenic elements, such as a sign indicating the diner’s name, fluidly enter the stage as needed.
Eric Nelson’s colorful lighting design paints the set with appropriate colors. For instance, a blue backdrop with a hint of orange suggests an early morning sky. Through his lighting’s degrees of intensity, Nelson also deftly differentiates realism from Hunterson’s imagination.
Ellis Tillman designed the character-appropriate costumes. And Reidar Sorensen’s clear and crisp sound design allows us to hear and understand the performers.
Few will confuse “Waitress” with “Hamilton,” or big, notable musicals from the Golden Age. But while “Waitress” is not groundbreaking, lacks truly memorable melodies, and the lyrics are sometimes questionable, the show is stirring in its own winning way.
If You Go
- What: Actors’ Playhouse’s production of “Waitress.”
- When: Through Sunday, April 20. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with matinees at 3 p.m. Sunday.
- Where: Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.
- Tickets: $50 to $100. Call (305) 444-9293 or www.actorsplayhouse.org. The theater offers 10 percent off all weekday performances for seniors and $15 student rush tickets to any performance 15 minutes prior to curtain with identification.
