★★★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.

THE CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”

Expect to be disappointed if you turn up to the Garrick Theatre for an historically accurate show about King Charles II and the theft of the Crown Jewels in 1671. If, on the other hand, you are buying a ticket for Simon Nye’s The Crown Jewels because you know that several of Britain’s leading comedians and stand up artists are in the cast, you will probably enjoy this show. You will then, quite rightly, be expecting an entertaining evening full of ad libs and dangerously outrageous exchanges with the audience. But let me give you some words of advice anyway: gentlemen, don’t sit in the first three rows if you aren’t sporting a well made periwig. And ladies, don’t sit there either if your partner is even slightly prone to fits of jealousy. Don’t expect to be safe from the cast’s attention if you splurged on tickets for a box, either.

The facts surrounding the seventeenth century’s most notorious jewel heist are well known. But if you need a refresher, the programme notes for The Crown Jewels are well written and provide a wealth of background information about the main characters in Nye’s drama. The appropriately named Colonel Thomas Blood apparently hatched a plot to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in an attempt to recover his Irish estates. Blood lost those as a result of switching sides to support the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Hatching plots against the Crown was nothing new to Blood—he’d been involved in several—but stealing the royal regalia was the crowning event of his career, as it were. If only Nye’s play was as well constructed as the programme notes. But The Crown Jewels is a shaky mash up in Horrible Histories, Blackadder—and even Panto—territory, and we’re nowhere near panto season in August. But perhaps it doesn’t matter. The Crown Jewels has been created to provide a rich—seriously rich—backdrop for its comic stars. It’s difficult not to see the rest of the show as just adroitly crafted stage management of a complicated set with lots of changing scenery.

It takes a while to warm to The Crown Jewels, and this is mostly time spent trying to figure out the plot. The characters on stage bear no resemblance whatsoever to the historical figures they are meant to represent. But let’s list them anyway. There’s Al Murray, (of Pub Landlord fame) playing Charles II with a strangled accent, Mel Giedroyc, (Great British Bake Off) doubling as the Keeper of the Crown Jewels’ gap toothed wife and—a brilliant contrast this —a very seductive French Noblewoman; Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) as Blood’s co-conspirator Captain Perrot; and Joe Thomas (The Inbetweeners) as Blood’s son. Carrie Hope Fletcher is given the opportunity to show off her beautiful singing voice as Elizabeth Edwards. She otherwise has little else to do as the Keeper’s daughter desperately searching for a husband, if only to avoid calling the Tower of London, home. The gifted Aidan McArdle as Colonel Blood has the thankless task of acting the villain, yet manages to make him sympathetic. Adonis Siddique has the even more thankless task of supporting Charles II as a footman.

But the real crown jewel of this production is, of course, Al Murray, doing his recognizable schtick as the Merry Monarch himself. There are lots of inappropriate jokes of all kinds, involving the newly discovered banana, to mention just one routine. McArdle really had my sympathy there. And on this particular evening, Murray set up a lively exchange with a couple of audience members from Australia (still undiscovered in Charles II’s time.) The Dutch also came in for a particular roasting, as the historical Charles was still smarting, in 1671, from a daring naval attack on London. One or two supporters attempted to stand up for the poor Dutch, and were ruthlessly put back in their places. Murray knows how to work his crowd.

The Crown Jewels survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast. The set design by Michael Taylor (who also designed the costumes) is also competent, although not, strictly speaking, historically accurate either. But pretty to look at, nonetheless. Fans of Al Murray will enjoy this show. But it’s not suitable for children, despite its similarity to panto. And The Crown Jewels won’t teach you much about the complicated politics and larger than life characters who really lived during Charles II’s reign. But it’s an enjoyable evening in the West End, nonetheless.

Tag Archives: Carrie Hope Fletcher

WAITRESS

★★★½

UK Tour

WAITRESS

Theatre Royal Brighton

★★★½

“Funny, moving and musically rich”

WAITRESS

Theatre Royal Brighton then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 7th April 2026

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Johan Persson

WAITRESS

WAITRESS

WAITRESS

The Crown Jewels

★★★

Garrick Theatre

THE CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”