WAITRESS

Theatre Royal Brighton

★★★½

“Funny, moving and musically rich”

A small-town diner, a troubled marriage and a gift for baking pies might not sound like the ingredients for a hit musical, but Waitress proves otherwise. Jessie Nelson adapts the 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly for the stage, with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. The result blends sharp humour, broad comedy and a richly melodic score into something contemporary and emotionally engaging, even if it occasionally struggles to reconcile its shifting tones.

At its centre is Jenna, played by Carrie Hope Fletcher, a waitress whose talent for pie-making becomes a form of expression, escape and ultimately self-determination. Fletcher delivers a performance of real assurance, her vocals soaring with clarity and control while keeping Jenna grounded and recognisable. There is steel beneath the warmth, giving weight to the character’s choices without losing the show’s lighter touch.

Jenna is trapped in an unhappy marriage to Earl while working at a local diner alongside her friends Becky and Dawn. When she discovers she is pregnant, her sense of being stuck deepens, until the arrival of Dr Pomatter complicates matters further. As their relationship develops, Jenna begins to imagine a different future for herself, one shaped as much by friendship and small acts of courage as by romance.

Around her, the supporting cast adds texture and energy. Sandra Marvin’s Becky is wry, warm and sharply observed, while Evelyn Hoskins brings offbeat charm to Dawn; both shine in their solos, When He Sees Me and I Didn’t Plan It, showcasing vocal range and character depth. Dan O’Brien’s Cal, the diner’s brusque but caring manager, provides a steady comic presence. Dan Partridge’s Dr Pomatter is likeable and easy-going, his scenes with Fletcher carrying a gentle if somewhat idealised chemistry within what is ultimately a more troubling dynamic than the musical fully interrogates. Alongside him, Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez steals scenes as Nurse Norma, leaning fully into the role’s comic potential. Mark Anderson impresses as Ogie, Dawn’s boyfriend, his Never Getting Rid of Me bursting with invention even if its premise – his refusal to take no for an answer – feels slightly uneasy. Les Dennis brings quiet poignancy to Old Joe, his solo Take It From an Old Man delivered with warmth and lived-in humanity, while Mark Wilshire ensures Earl feels uncomfortably real rather than simply villainous.

It is this darker undercurrent that gives the show its bite, though it occasionally feels uneven. Beneath the sugary surface lie serious themes – domestic abuse, coercive control, dementia, infidelity, financial insecurity, generational trauma, stalking and sexual misconduct. Some are central to Jenna’s journey, while others are lightly brushed aside or played for humour, creating an imbalance that prevents the piece from fully landing.

Bareilles’ score is the beating heart of the show, effortlessly moving between ensemble numbers and introspective solos. The songs feel fully integrated into the storytelling. Choreography by Lorin Latarro complements the storytelling with organic, character-driven movement, and the on-stage band under musical direction Stephen Hill adds immediacy and warmth.

Direction by Diane Paulus keeps the production fluid and engaging, allowing humour and pathos to sit side by side, even if the tonal balance occasionally wobbles. Design by Scott Pask captures the lived-in familiarity of the diner, with a flexible set that shifts smoothly between locations. Lighting by Ken Billington subtly shapes mood and focus, while costumes by Suttirat Anne Larlarb ground the characters in a recognisable world. Waitress is a feel-good musical at its heart, following Jenna’s journey with warmth and humour, yet it carries enough complexity to give the story depth. Funny, moving and musically rich, it balances sweetness with just enough bite, even if it does not always explore its darker themes fully.

WAITRESS

Theatre Royal Brighton then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 7th April 2026

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Johan Persson

WAITRESS

★★

“the inherently flawed direction and script leaves us feeling a little short changed”

The stage adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel of Paula Hawkin’s smash-hit novel, The Girl on The Train, screeches into Brighton prior to transferring to the West End. It puts Rachel Watson, played by Samantha Womack, as an unemployed alcoholic who spies into her ex husband Tom’s home from the train and soon finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation. The victim? Her ex-husband’s mistress, Megan.

Rachel, who yearns for a different life is bitterly grieving for the one she has now lost. The plot is seemingly plucked from thin air as out of the blue, ex-husband Tom (Adam Jackson Smith) comes knocking at the door of her cluttered and untidy flat. He is investigating whether she had any involvement in the murder which happened on the evening she turned up at his house, berating his new wife Anna (Lowenna Melrose).

With crime thriller interest at an all time high with smash-hit TV shows like Broadchurch and Line of Duty, the production ultimately lacks genuine research and integrity which is a shame. The inspector tasked with the case incoherently deals with Rachel as a potential suspect and it doesn’t sit well. DI Gaskell, played rather too melodramatically by John Dougall, gives away confidential information and access to murder scenes which confuses. The relationship between suspect and police could be more intelligent, the psychological analysis of interrogation could have been a strong point but again, the poor writing fails miserably in it’s feeble attempt at being somewhat mildly realistic and poetic.

Director Anthony Banks could do more to raise the stakes within each scene, we are watching a murder investigation and so called ‘psychological thriller’ but yet I do not believe the majority of the performances or staging. The clunky transitions between scenes see Womack walk into a focused light for ten seconds or so with no real purpose except for masking a scene change and ultimately drops the rare bit of energy that is created in the scene before. Womack has a big task in carrying The Girl On The Train as Rachel is centre of every scene but unlike in the novel and film, Rachel lacks real character depth and likeability. I feel for Womack as I know she has the ability to carry a good script, but she is desperately underserved by the writers but supported by the rest of the cast (Oliver Farnworth, Naeem Hayat, Matt Concannon and Phillipa Flynn). One redeeming performance is Kirsty Oswald as Megan, her brief monologues are complex and performed with a real level of emotion and truth.

The Girl On The Train is a clumsy and poorly directed adaptation of a story which is somewhat of a literature phenomenon. Despite it’s stunning design by James Cotterill and admirable ambition, the inherently flawed direction and script leaves us feeling a little short changed.

Reviewed by Nathan Collins

Photography by Manuel Harlan

Tag Archives: Brighton Theatre Royal

WAITRESS

★★★½

UK Tour

WAITRESS

Theatre Royal Brighton

★★★½

“Funny, moving and musically rich”

WAITRESS