In a small town, a waitress works in a diner who is also brilliant at making delectable desserts. Unfortunately, she is in an abusive marriage and is pregnant with her husband. To make things more complicated, she falls in love with the local married doctor, who feels the same way for her. How did the waitress handle her troubles?
My daughter and wife watched the musical Waitress in the Barrymore Theater in New York City the night before Thanksgiving 2021. In a very casual and quick interview with my daughter, I asked how's the show. Below are some of our conversations.
Spoil alert: If you plan to watch the show, you may not want to read this blog as it will reveal some of the scenes.
What type of domestic abuse was seen in the musical?
Graecia: There was verbal abuse and gaslighting because the husband (Earl) tried to distort the reality and manipulated Jenna (waitress), brainwashing her that she could not live without him. Earl also used physical aggression as a form of intimidation. For example, he would break the guitar and yell at Jenna.
How did she handle her predicament?
At first, she just took it and endured everything because she felt she had nowhere to go. Then, however, she saw an opportunity to end the relationship when a baking competition was launched. Since she was very good at creating luscious pies, she aimed to winning the contest and use the prize money to leave the town and start fresh with her life.
Did she win?
No, because Earl took all her hard-earned money. She was supposed to use that money to register for the cooking contest then hopefully use the $20,000 prize to have a new life. She was extremely sad because of what had happened and because she was locked up in an unhappy relationship. She used to be the person with hopes and dreams, but she got the opposite. She was tied down and lost her identity. After the stealing scene, she moved forward the stage and delivered a very emotional solo rendition of She Used to Be Mine right in front of the equally emotional audience -
It's not what I asked for
Sometimes life just slips in through a back door
And carves out a person
And makes you believe it's all true
And now I've got you
And you're not what I asked for
If I'm honest, I know I would give it all back
For a chance to start over
And rewrite an ending or two
For the girl that I knew
Talking about the songs, what was your favorite?
"Bad Idea." I like the melody, harmony, and delivery of the song. The song's context was that Jenna was in one of the clinic's treatment rooms with Dr. Pomatter. They were passionately in love during the encounter, but they tried to suppress their feelings because their love wasn't allowed. The lyrics go -
Heart, stop racing
Let's face it, making mistakes like this
Will make worse what was already pretty bad
Mind, stop running
It's time we just let this thing go
It was a pretty good bad idea, wasn't it, though?
Then, the beautiful harmony resonated in the theater -
I know it's right for me
It's the only thing I've ever done
What if I never see myself ever be anything more
Than what I've already become?
I think so. Life continued - she worked, she motivated herself to continue living. Also, life became more meaningful when she learned she was having a baby. She persevered and was hopeful that everything would turn out okay. She also sought emotional support from her friends, which was essential to keep her sanity.
What's the moral of the story?
It is never too late to start living your dream. You can break the cycle of domestic violence (Jenna's mother was also in the same difficult situation). Be empowered and inspired to seek a better life. An adulterous relationship cannot correct an unhappy marriage.
Did you like the ending of the story?
The ending was satisfying but not predictable. I like the ending because Jenna was able to end her marriage with her husband and got the rights to manage the diner because she inherited it from the previous owner. She lived as a happy single mother.
I loved the show. All the characters were excellent at putting emotions into the lyrics of the songs. I cried. Mom cried. As expected, the cast received a rousing standing ovation from the audience at the end of the show.
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