‘Waitress’ Musical, Choreographed by Lorin Latarro, Showed Broadway the Power of Female Fans

“Compared to the splashier spectacles that play Broadway and beyond, “Waitress” is relatively simple. It isn’t set in a notable time or place. It doesn’t zoom in on a famous figure. It forgoes ornate costumes, elaborate sets and ensemble-wide dance numbers. And though the stage show is, like many productions these days, based on a movie, it’s not one with the massive fan base of “Harry Potter” or the pedigree of “The Color Purple”: It adapts a 2007 indie film about a server who dreams of opening a pie shop but finds herself unexpectedly pregnant.

In commercial theater terms, it’s not exactly a recipe for success.

And yet “Waitress” recouped its initial investment — a milestone reached by only 20% of all Broadway productions — in less than 10 months. It went on to play over 1,500 performances, earn four Tony Award nominations and launch multiple national tours. And a filmed performance of the stage show, starring its composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles, is coming to the big screen as a five-day theatrical event beginning Dec. 7.

…Lorin Latarro’s choreography features a subtle but beautiful interlude celebrating childbirth, as well as whimsical dream sequences that accompany Jenna’s piemaking — an act by which she honors her mother, who taught her how to bake….

“…Waitress” — the first Broadway musical led by an all-female creative team — offers the industry’s core fan base an unusual opportunity to see themselves reflected onstage: normal women who work hard, make mistakes and deal with whatever they’ve been served in life, all in the here and now, not some faraway decade or fantasy realm.” – Los Angeles Times