Waitress
Sugar, butter, flour: the base ingredients for a pie crust, or for a stunning musical, but just like baking a pie, life can get messy and complicated.
I was thrilled to direct and choreograph the Oklahoma regional premier of Waitress. I had a goal of adding my personal touches to an already beautiful and moving show, and I started how I usually do, by building the world.
In the months before traveling to Tulsa I went to several diners in NYC with a small notebook in hand and started what I called the Waitress Diner Diaries. I would observe everything from the layout of the diner, the music that played, the way the staff moved about the space, and the personalities of the servers and customers. I chatted with the staff and found inspiration in their stories. I named all 12 of my ensemble members after people I had met from my diner journey.
I was mainly inspired by the 2007 film and the depth of the characters and relationships. I wanted to bring this idea to my production. A way I achieved that was through character development, and weaving in some characters throughout the musical.
One of the aspects of Waitress that I wanted to expand on was the moments that Jenna has with her mom. I wanted to use the young actress who played Lulu to also represent young Jenna, which helped deepen the relationship we see between Jenna and her mother. When Jenna would sing about her mother, the audience would see a small memory of Jenna’s. From decorating pies to the gifting of a necklace or the physical violence in “What Baking Can Do”, the audience was able fully see what Jenna had lived through.
I found a lot of joy in telling Jenna’s story though lighting. I wanted the lighting to reflect Jenna’s subconscious. In the diner, she was seen as a lovely, soft blue, representing Jenna feeling safe. When she was in her dream world, or having her steamy affair with the doctor, the lighting would become vibrant and textured. When Earl would come into a scene, he would drain the stage of light and shift the scene into an ice teal, representing the power he has over Jenna, her insecurity, and her fear.
Another theme I was oddly inspired by was 1990’s taco bell. The colors resonated with me and felt right when thinking of a color scheme for an old 1950’s diner. Flashes of blue, teal, and purple outlined the diner, bringing a happy feeling to the stage, yet also representing baby colors.
In the back of the diner stood three mighty windows. Designed with large platforms behind them, these windows represented the window into the dream world. The choreography consisted of dancing pies in “What Baking Can Do,” sexually empowered women in “I Didn’t Plan It,” and a couple risqué couples in “Bad Idea Reprise.” These were so fun to work with! We got a peak into Jenna’s mind every time Jenna was dreaming up a recipe, having flashbacks of her abuse as a child, speaking to her unborn baby, and when she read the letter old Joe wrote her before he passed on.
By the time the show closed I was immensely proud and had eaten far too many pieces of pie.
Theatre Tulsa
Summer 2024
You can view the entire album of this production’s photos by clicking here.
Media Coverage
Tulsa World
Broadway World
Trailer
Theatre Tulsa | Check out this sneak peek of Waitress! We’ve ...
Credits
Director and Choreographer – Liz Bealko
Music Director – Jordan Andrews
Costume Designer – Lisa Hunter
Lighting Designer – Zero Steiert
Sound Designer – Grant Goodner
Technical Director – Fletcher Gross
Production Manager – Mandy Gross
Photography – John Beier
