Sugar, Butter And A Whole Load Of Fun! - Waitress the Musical Review

★★★★★

I know I'm late to the bandwagon but I finally got to see Waitress in the West End last month and it was incredible! I had already become addicted to the soundtrack and seeing the amazing songs (written by Sara Bareilles) live was a whole other level of amazing. The feel good song 'Opening Up' set the show's tone right from the start, getting the audience excited to follow the life of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress living in a small town in America, when she discovers that she is pregnant with her abusive husband Earl's baby. Jenna (played by Lucie Jones) begins an affair with her Doctor (played by David Hunter) and rediscovers love, whilst also realising her own independence and strength.

For me, Lucie Jones had the standout performance with her remarkable version of Jenna. Jones managed to capture the audience from the very start of the show when she sang 'What's Inside' all the way to the end. The climax of the show, when Jenna is inundated with self doubt and grief for her past life, is the emotional ballad, 'She Used To Be Mine' which Jones sang effortlessly, resulting in a standing ovation. She managed to portray all of Jenna's struggles and regrets of her life in 4 minutes taking both myself and the rest of the audience on an emotional journey. Lucie deserves so many awards for her performance as Jenna and I think that this will lead on to many more leading roles for her. She is definitely someone who I will be going to watch in other shows!

Another two people who deserve a mention are Laura Baldwin and Sandra Marvin, who play Dawn and Becky respectively. Dawn and Becky are Jenna's best friends and you can see the connection between the three women who play them. A notable point is that Marvin only took over the role from Marisha Wallace two days before I went to see Waitress, but you would never know, as her singing and acting was flawless. Baldwin played the quirky character of Dawn incredibly well and she had great chemistry with Joe Sugg who played Ogie. Both actresses performed their characters exceptionally well and contributed to the humour of the show.

Finally, the biggest surprise of the night for me was Joe Sugg in his portrayal of Ogie. Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect from Joe as I had seen him dance on Strictly Come Dancing but I had no idea whether he could sing or act. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised and he was perfect for the role of Ogie. His rendition of 'Never Getting Rid Of Me' was extremely amusing for the audience and led to lots of cheers. I definitely think that Joe will have a future on the West End if he chooses to after Waitress.

Ultimately, Waitress is a feel good show that carries a strong message in being true to yourself. It is extremely humorous but doesn't shy away from more serious topics such as emotional abuse, which allows the audience to connect to all of the characters and follow the story with a genuine interest for where all of they will end up by the time the curtain falls at the end of Act 2. Sara Bareilles is a musical genius with the songs that she has written and with West End stars such as Lucie Jones and David Hunter at the forefront, this show will only ever be a recipe for success! Waitress is a show that will constantly leave the audience hungry for more and more!