Waitress
Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker, is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop…until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she’s been missing all along — courage.
“Rises to transporting heights, and sweeps up your heart along with it.” The New York Times
“The whole dish is love at first bite…Jessie Nelson’s broadly comic yet brooding book meshes wonderfully with a frisky, bright score by pop star Sara Bareilles.” Time Out New York
Play Details
Music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by Susi Damilano
Music Direction by Dave Dobrusky
Choreography by Nicole Helfer
THE CAST
PHOTOS
Photos by Jessica Palopoli.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
For blind and visually impaired audience members, San Francisco Playhouse partners with Gravity Access Services to offer live audio description and haptic access tours for selected performances.
About the Creators
SARA BAREILLES can next be seen starring in the upcoming Tina Fey series, GIRLS5EVA. Bareilles first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit “Love Song,” which reached No. 1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice. Since then, Sara has gone on to receive seven Grammy® nominations throughout her career, which include Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Love Song” and one Album of the Year for her highly acclaimed third studio album, The Blessed Unrest.
Her book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster and is a New York Times best seller. Making her Broadway debut Sara composed the music and lyrics for Waitress, for which she received her first Tony® Award nomination for Best Score and a 2017 Grammy® Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. She also made her Broadway acting debut in 2017 by stepping into the lead role in Waitress. 2018 was a big year for Sara, she co-hosted the Tony Awards®, was nominated for an Emmy® and Grammy ® for her role in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and was awarded with the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award.
Sara also teamed up with Apple as an executive producer for Little Voice a 10-episode series, for which she created the original music. What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress, her most recent solo studio album, is out on Epic Records. On April 5, 2019 Sara released her fifth full-length and first album of original material since 2013, entitled Amidst the Chaos. For this latest body of work, she joined forces in the studio with legendary Academy® Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett. As a result, the album spotlights her voice as a singer and storyteller like never before, while making an enduring statement.
JESSIE NELSON wrote the musical Waitress with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. The show played on Broadway for 4 years and moved to the West End in London. Sara and Jessie went on to create the show Little Voice which they Executive Produced with JJ Abrams for Apple TV. Jessie wrote, directed and produced Corrina Corrina and I Am Sam staring Sean Penn, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
Among her other directing credits are Curb Your Enthusiasm and Love, the Coopers with Diane Keaton. Her writing credits include Step Mom and The Story of Us . She produced Fred Claus and Danny Collins . In London, Jessie directed Alice By Heart which she co-wrote with Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik at the National Theater Connections Program and again at MCC in NYC. She began her career as an actress at the Public Theater working with the award-winning experimental theater Mabou Mines and at the New York Shakespeare Festival. She wrote the children’s book Labracadabra. She has been the artistic Director of the Sundance Screen Writers Lab.
What are the showtimes?
The show is on stage six days a week; Tuesday through Sunday. Showtimes are as follows:
Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M.
Wednesdays at 2:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.
Thursdays at 7:00 P.M.
Fridays at 8:00 P.M.
Saturdays at 3:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.
Sundays at 2:00 P.M.
Showtimes may vary. Always consult the official show calendar or call 415.677.9596 for updated dates and times.
How much are tickets?
Tickets range from $30 to $100, although prices may fluctuate depending on date, showtime, and demand. Discounts are available to season subscribers.
When did Waitress premiere?
Waitress first premiered on August 19, 2015 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It then transferred to Broadway, beginning performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in March of 2016, where it went on to receive 3 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
What is the seating chart for this show?
San Francisco Playhouse's auditorium is on two levels: Orchestra and Mezzanine/Balcony. Our intimate 199-seat theatre has only nine rows in the Orchestra, meaning every single seat is close to the stage.
Where is San Francisco Playhouse?
San Francisco Playhouse is located at 450 Post St., San Francisco CA 94102. The theatre is located on the second floor of the Kensington Park Hotel. Patrons may access the venue using the elevators or stairs in the hotel lobby.
Is San Francisco Playhouse ADA accessible?
San Francisco Playhouse is ADA accessible. The theatre is located on the second floor and can be accessed by two elevators from the lobby level. Wheelchair and companion seating are located on the theatre's mezzanine level.
Is there parking on site?
We do not offer onsite parking, and the hotel's valet is only available to guests of the Kensington Park Hotel. For nearby affordable parking, we recommend the Union Square garage or Sutter-Stockton garage. Limited street parking is also available.
We recommend taking BART or Muni to San Francisco Playhouse. We are four blocks from the Powell Street BART/Muni station — just a seven-minute walk.