Waitress at Curve Theatre Leicester on 25th January 2022 (Evening Show) & 26th January 2022 (Matinee Show)
Review
This show was just phenomenal and blew me away completely, the whole cast, crew all put in such an incredible production. I don’t have the words but I’m gonna give it a go. I got the chance to see this show twice whilst it was in my area and I wish I could have seen it more than twice honestly. It’s my favourite musical and it’s my soft place to land.
I always love and adore the set on this show, obviously as it was a tour the set was moved by the actors which was actually really cool, it kind of added that extra elements to make it feel authentic to a diner in a way. I always love the props though in first night I did spot a few prop errors but they just made it funnier honestly.
Chelsea Halfpenny as Jenna, she was most certainly the perfect Jenna, she put so much emotion into the role, you felt literally everything with her. She portrayed her so delicately and I just was in awe of her the whole time. I was crying and feeling everything. Not to mention her voice seriously? What control and power, she put her full emotions into her singing and is just unbelievably talented. What an honour it was to see her as Jenna.
Sandra Marvin as Becky was hilarious honestly she and Christopher/Cal had me in stitches when they were together. She had the most perfect comedic timing and literally was so hilarious she knew exactly how to deliver all her lines to perfection. Plus her voice was incredible oh my gosh just wow, the absolute power she had and the emotions she used through the song wow.
Evelyn Hoskins as Dawn is now officially my favourite Dawn. She portrays her in such an incredibly adorkable way. She has the innocence and the quirkiness that Dawn has perfectly. She is hilarious and didn’t stop making me laugh so much. Her voice and her control were outstanding. She will forever remain my favourite Dawn, I’ve never seen anyone portray Dawn that perfectly, I adore her so much.
George Crawford as Ogie, oh my goodness me what a treat he was with his extra dorkiness he was so over the top and had me hawling, he was a perfect Ogie. He had such an amazing voice and his performance seems so tough, but he did it perfectly. I don’t know how he had that much energy the whole time to do everything he did. His chemistry with Evelyn/Dawn was amazing and they worked off each other so so well.
Matt Willis as Dr. Pomatter, he was a really great Pomatter he and Chelsea worked off of each other so utterly perfectly and had incredible chemistry. You could feel the connection between them. It was so seriously beautiful.
Tamlyn Henderson as Earl was actually really hilarious and made me laugh. He portrayed so much emotion and made me feel really bad for him. He showed that he really cared for Jenna and loved her, but he just had an utterly bad turn of life. But he was also a complete jerk and so mean.
Christopher D Hunt as Cal, was just wonderful and hilarious, he knew exactly how to make you laugh at everything he did.
Michael Starke as Joe, was such a lovely man, he was funny with his dirty comments but he delivers them perfectly and oh I loved his connection was with Chelsea/Jenna, he totally had me crying, you get so connected with these two oh my.
Lulu: I had the pleasure of seeing both Lulu’s, Arna Nigrelli & Eadie Mae Johnson they were the sweetest little LuLu’s, you could clearly see they were having the time of their lives, loving being on that big stage with all the adoration from the crowds. They were so talented, adorable and precious. I loved these cuties as LuLu.
The Ensemble/Swings are the glue to this show, without them honestly not a lot would happen, they are incredible and deserve the recognition. The hard work they did throughout the show was not lost on me at all. They were literally always on the go, handing over props, moving the sets, dancing, singing, moving characters around, changing their costumes quickly. These actors were effective in making the show authentic, in helping the scene change naturally and they did so much. They were such an incredible team.
I loved literally everything about this show and I suppose I always will, from the absolutely incredible songs, to the beautiful but heartbreaking story, to the sets, the staging and choreography. Not to mention the band oh my gosh they are on the stage the whole time and are just amazing. This was an utterly incredible show and I will treasure it all having gotten to see this incredible cast twice.
Cast & Crew
Cast
Chelsea Halfpenny as Jenna
Evelyn Hoskins as Dawn
Sandra Marvin as Becky
Matt Willis as Dr. Pomatter
George Crawford as Ogie
Tamlyn Henderson as Earl
Christopher D Hunt as Cal
Michael Starke as Joe
Scarlet Gabriel as Nurse Norma
Eadie Mae Johnson & Arna Nigrelli as LuLu
Amelia Atheron as Mother, Vicar & Ensemble
Aimee Fisher as Francine Pomatter & Ensemble
Monique Ashe-Palmer as Ensemble
Nathanael Lanskroner as Ensemble
Brian Roland as Ensemble
Ben Morris as Ensemble
Charlie as Swing & Dance Captain
Liam McHugh as Swing
Donal Brennan as Swing
Olivia Mitchell as Swing
Band
Ellen Campbell -Piano & Musical Director
Denise Crowley – Keyboard & Assistant MD
Oliver Copeland – Bass Guitar & Double Bass
Ollie Boorman – Drums
Alex Crawford – Guitars
Roland Palmer – Cello & Guitars
Stephen Hill for Musicians UK LTD – Orchestral Management
Resident Production team
Sue Berry – Company Stage Management
Alex Sumner-Hughes – Resident Director
Sky Barnes – Stage Management
Ashley Pollitt – Deputy Stage Management
Jess Cooper – Assistant Stage Management
Jake Robson – Technical Stage Management
Roman Torrance – Swing Technician
Amber Waller – Swing Technician
Elliot Williams – Head of Sound
Nick Mann – Deputy Head of Sound
Matthew Linklater – Assistant Sound Technician
Ben Webster – Chief Executive
Tom Prichard – Deputy Electrician
Robin Potter- Assistant Electrician
Hilda Greenwood- Head of wardrobe
Tom Darlington – Deputy Head of Wardrobe
Jess Siddall – Wardrobe Assistant
Hannah McGregor- Head of Wigs
Louisa Gallon – Wigs Assistant
Book by Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Additional Content
I also had the pleasure of meeting multiple members of the cast, I wasn’t expecting to see any of them or that any would stop and talk with me, but it was a pleasure getting the opportunity too. I was at a distance and happened to spot them so said hi and a few of them were kind enough to stop and have a conversation with me, this was all before the matinee show on my second day. After the show I actually sat in the same place hoping to maybe say hi again to the same kind actors that spoke to me before and what did you know they did all stop and talk with me again and one even asked if I wanted a photo. What was really special to me about this was that the actors remembered the conversation I had with them earlier that day before the show and that means a lot to me, the whole experience meant a lot to me.
apapergirlapapertown 