Theatre review: Arts Club cooks up a creative hit with a Waitress that's moving yet whimsical

Rachel Drance’s poignant performance mixes well with choreographic and design innovations in new rendition of musical at the Stanley

By Vince Kanasoot

A song-and-dance number from Waitress. Photo by Moonrider Productions

The Arts Club Theatre presents Waitress at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage to August 3

WITH WAITRESS, THE Arts Club Theatre Company has whipped up something truly special as its season-closing musical.

This production isn’t simply a replica of the acclaimed Broadway version; instead, under the direction of Ashlie Corcoran, it soars with its own voice, thanks to imaginative work from the creative team and a poignant performance by its star Rachel Drance. 

Based on the film of the same title, Waitress comprises a pop score by Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter and actor Sara Bareilles, and a book by Jessie Nelson, both of which glow with charm and emotion. The story centres on Jenna (Drance), a waitress and talented pie chef at Joe’s Pie Diner in a small American South town. We quickly learn that Jenna is in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl (an appropriately douchey Jacob Woike). When she realizes that she’s pregnant with Earl’s child, she feels hopelessly trapped. 

Jenna’s potential ticket to freedom for her and her expectant child could be the $20,000 prize from a pie-baking contest in a neighbouring town. However, things get complicated when a handsome doctor, Jim Pomatter (an endearing Kamyar Pazandeh), arrives in town—and ends up being Jenna’s obstetrician. 

Bareilles’s Southern-flavoured songs help lighten the mood in a musical that deals with some heavy issues. At other times, the tunes create great character depth—one of the highlights being Drance’s heartbreaking solo, “She Used to Be Mine”.

Drance’s portrayal of Jenna is easy to relate to. Her emotions—whether they be fear when she’s around Earl, or moments of agonizing contemplation—reach to the back of the Stanley Theatre. A strong singer, Drance also masters the delivery of Bareilles’s pop songs, including stylistic details such as shifting back and forth between head and chest voice. 

The onstage chemistry between her and Pazandeh is electric, and it doesn’t hurt that Pazandeh oozes with awkward energy at first. When contrasted with Drance’s matter-of-fact attitude, it’s fun to watch the tension build between the two. 

Kamyar Pazandeh and Rachel Drance in Waitress. Photo by Moonrider Productions

"Corcoran and her creative team have managed to use these inventive elements without distracting from the hard realities in the story..."

Jenna’s besties, fellow waitresses Becky (Ashanti J’Aria) and Dawn (Sarah Cantuba), add welcome playful energy, and both get to enjoy their own spotlight moments. For J’Aria, it’s her solo “I Didn’t Plan It”, where she showcases her powerhouse vocals. For Cantuba, it’s “When He Sees Me”, where she taps her comedic gifts to lead the cast in a showstopping song-and-dance number. As Dawn’s quirky romantic interest Ogie, Josh Epstein embraces the character’s unapologetic goofiness, especially in the entertaining “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me”, where he works through an arsenal of magic tricks while leaping around the diner. 

Thanks to Shelley Stewart Hunt’s choreography, the many fun choreographic numbers evoke shades of TV shows such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, where pedestrian-looking folks in contemporary everyday life suddenly break out into dance. A highlight includes the male ensemble encircling Dawn as they hold up diner menus, evoking shades of Busby Berkeley’s golden-era showgirl choreography. 

Amid all of this, Waitress still feels believable, and the frequent song-and-dance moments don’t seem out of place. That’s because a beautiful dream-like setting is established from the start. Set designer Cory Sincennes’s two gigantic baker’s racks that stretch up to the rafters give the show an adult-Matilda feel, hinting there may be a touch of magic involved here.

Hunt’s choreography drives this dream state throughout, with flashes of whimsy. Ensemble members lift Jenna into the air like a gazelle as she heads to the bus, and diners strike gorgeous, simultaneous extended lines as they perform the first dance break of “When He Sees Me”.   

But some of the most magical moments are when Jenna bakes her pies. Drance seems to effortlessly crack eggs, pour sugar and flour into mixing bowls, and even roll out pie dough, often with support from the ensemble who dance across the stage as they hand ingredients and implements to her. It’s all pulled off with a flowing ethereality that makes these moments mesmerizing. 

This version of Waitress is surprising in many ways. The relatively simple story doesn’t immediately lead one to expect flashy production numbers, dreamy moments, or cool sets. Yet Corcoran and her creative team have managed to use these inventive elements without distracting from the hard realities in the story—in fact, they help elevate the narrative. 

As such, Waitress’s narrative plays out loud and clear, with beautiful, nuanced sensitivity in its portrayal of an imperfect character who strives to do the right thing, but can’t always see the clear path. In other words, she’s human. If this story was a pie, it wouldn’t be a picture-perfect, sweet apple pie. It would have bits of fallen crust, and yet be unforgettably satisfying and special. And Arts Club’s production is uniquely delicious.

---

Related Articles