BW music theatre program was the first local production to perform the Broadway hit musical “Waitress” at the Beck Center on Feb. 14. Directed by Victoria Bussert, the musical revolves around Jenna, a waitress and pie-maker, who dreams of something bigger than what she currently has.
“It’s about the journey of Jenna, who, at the top of the show, discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant and has to make some life decisions…” Bussert said. “Through some difficult times, [she] really discovers who she is. Her real home, her spiritual home, is in her baking pies…that’s where she finds her comfort. It’s her journey through this period of her life and all the changes that she will encounter.”
Sophia Edwards, a junior musical theatre major, plays the lead role as Jenna. She said this is her first time portraying a character deeply “rooted in realism,” and that she deeply resonates with this role as both a “human and as a woman.”
“This role has so many colors to it, and it’s interesting because I’ve gotten to play a lot of character-ery roles, from very big to spastic roles, but this is the first role I’ve played where I’ve felt so rooted in realism,” Edwards said.
Prior to directing “Waitress,” Bussert had seen the 2007 indie film that it was based on, as well as seeing it multiple times on Broadway due to several BW grads performing in the productions.
Bussert said that she admired that the original creative team on Broadway was all female.
“You can tell that this is a musical written from a female point of view, and we don’t have a lot of those,” Bussert said, “The majority of American musical theatre has been written by men, including the words and the lyrics that are spoken by young women. So, there is something very special to me about getting to have the female lens be what is really first. It really drives the musical, and that’s very unique in American musical theatre.”
Prior to being a part of “Waitress,” Edwards said she has loved the musical ever since it went on Broadway.
“I was listening to the soundtrack and became obsessed with the soundtrack. I’m a huge Sara Bareilles fan, so I thought it was really cool that we got to do a Sara Bareilles show,” Edwards said.
Bussert said a challenge for the cast has been the age gap between the actors and the age of the characters.
“I think the challenge for our actors is they’re all playing characters that are older than they are and who have had more advanced life experiences that probably most college students have not had, but that’s what it is to be an actor,” Bussert said.
Bussert said that to overcome this challenge involves the use of “imagination” and “pretending that you’re someone that you’re not” as well as finding similarities between the actor and the character.
“Use your imagination and your research to fill in the holes of the lived experience that you haven’t had yet,” Bussert said.
Reece Clements, a sophomore percussion performance major, plays the drums in the pit for the instrumentals in the musical. He said learning the music for this musical is to know when to play hard and energetically, and when to cut back.
Clements also said that for this musical, he has had to shift the way he usually plays the drums in a unique way.
“A lot of the rock music I play relies on my left and right hand and my right foot, my left foot does not do much, but what I’ve come to notice for this musical is that I need forelimb independence because my left foot is playing a completely different part than the rest of my body,” Clements said.
Edwards said the challenge of playing Jenna has been more positive for her because it has allowed her to perform in a “new and more vibrant way” than what she is used to.
“The directing team have all motivated me to step outside of myself and to really take hold of the show, because that’s what this character has to do. It’s been a struggle coming outside of myself and getting outside my comfort zone, but that’s also the point of the show,” Edwards said. “It’s about doing something you would not normally do, something that is not the safe choice, but it is a choice that you have to make in order to have a better future.”
Edwards said she hopes the audience will be inspired by the power women hold within themselves that they don’t always know that they have.
“I think the audience will take away the fact that, even though a person can go through the hardest things in life, they can still find a way out, and they can still find a way to have a happy and beautiful life after so much pain,” Edwards said.
Edwards also said this musical means a lot to her on a personal level, and that this message resonates with her because her mom has also had a rough life, where she had to fight for a better life for herself.
“She fought for everything, and in that she also made sure that I had a great life. The only reason I’m here is because of her, and I think a huge thing for the audience to see is that mothers will do whatever they can for their kids, and that they will always put their daughters first. Maybe that’s just my personal life, but I think it’s a beautiful tribute to moms,” Edwards said.
Bussert said she hopes the audience will take away that “all dreams are possible” and that it’s okay to have “challenges in our life journeys.”
“There are parts of our lives ahead we can’t even imagine right now, and to not give up on whatever dream that is. Or at least keep yourself available to what dreams that you’re not even imagining,” Bussert said.
BWMT’s production of Waitress is playing now at the Beck Center for the Arts. The show runs Feb. 14 – March 9.
