Sara Bareilles, Who Wrote ‘Waitress’ Music, to Take Over as Broadway Lead
Can someone kindly cover Sara Bareilles' shift? She's taking over the lead role in Broadway's Waitress, for which she wrote all of the original music, she announced in a Facebook video this morning (February 15).
"I am learning my lines and I am getting ready to share this beautiful story with you," Bareilles said in the clip. She'll take over for Jessie Mueller, who's starred as the story's protagonist Jenna since the show's 2016 debut. Bareilles will start on March 31 for a limited 10-week run.
Waitress, based on Adrienne Shelly's eponymous 2007 film, follows a down-on-her-luck server who's trapped in an abusive marriage in the middle of a small town. She keeps hope, though, that her talent for making zany Dr. Seuss-worthy pies will eventually be her ticket out of town. And Bareilles told The New York Times she can't wait to get started.
"It’s something I’ve been quietly mulling over since the show began," she said. "So I’m making the big jump, and it feels like a completion of sorts, a coming full circle with this project. When I started working on it, I didn’t know how fully it would engulf me and my creative sensibilities. I’m obviously having a hard time saying goodbye."
Bareilles' work for the show has already earned her a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. The Times reports she's sought the help of Josh Groban and Jennifer Nettles, who have both recently shifted from music to Broadway pursuits, to help guide her through the transition.
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