Preparing to star in Moonlight Stage Productions’ “Waitress” the musical “all feels very circle” to Lulu Lloyd.
It should. It’s her first onstage performance since Lloyd understudied the role of pie-making protagonist Jenna Hunterson and was part of the show’s acting ensemble on a national tour of “Waitress” in 2019.
In the interim six years, Lloyd, a San Diego resident who attended Stella Maris Academy in La Jolla and graduated from La Jolla High School, has been busy: teaching and coaching young theater artists, getting married and starting her own family. (She has two children.)
“A friend told me that Moonlight was doing ‘Waitress,’” Lloyd recalled. “She said it’s a great schedule for a mom. There aren’t a whole lot of shows that I would come out of ‘retirement’ for, but this one is. It means more to me than any show I’ve ever done.”
Based on the popular 2007 film that starred Keri Russell, “Waitress” finds its heroine, diner baker-waitress Jenna, seeking escape in every sense of the word from an unhappy marriage and circumstances that worsen when she becomes pregnant. A pie-baking contest with a hefty cash prize seems to offer the possibility. That and other complications in Jenna’s life were adapted from the late Adrienne Shelley’s film script by Jessie Nelson, who wrote the book for the 2015 musical.
The story “has incredibly deep moments of pathos and so much wit and charm and real-life experience,” Lloyd said. “There’s so much that Jenna goes through. Having dreams. Feeling stuck. Complicated relationships.
“In spite of having a lot of sadness, Jenna hasn’t lost all of her power. She hasn’t lost all hope. She has this extremely meaningful connection with her friends, who are her family at the diner.”
Then there’s the music for “Waitress” composed by Sara Bareilles, who also starred as Jenna in the show’s 2021 revival on Broadway, which was filmed and later released theatrically.
“The music is outrageously good,” said Lloyd. “Sara Bareilles is one of the best singer-songwriters of our generation, if not the best. She’s not your typical musical-theater writer.”
At Moonlight, “Waitress” is being directed by Noelle Marion. In perhaps another full-circle happenstance, Lloyd worked with Marion’s husband, actor Andrew Polec, while on the 2018-19 U.S. tour of “Bat Out of Hell: The Musical.” The Moonlight production is being choreographed by Katie Banville, with Tamara Paige as music director. The cast includes Elizabeth Adable and Emma Nossal as Becky and Dawn, fellow waitresses with Jenna at Joe’s Pie Diner, and Bryan Banville as Dr. Pomatter.
Not all is easy as pie for Jenna Hunterson.
“It’s real life highlighted on stage,” suggested Lloyd. “With or without knowing it, I think people go to the theater so they can find a piece of what they’re watching and relate to it, and that’s why it makes them laugh or cry or feel uncomfortable. It’s nice that somebody else is acting it out so that they can feel heard or less alone.”
Returning to acting will not become a full-time gig again for Lloyd, who spent 12 years in New York, was in the original Broadway cast of the “School of Rock – the Musical,” has toured nationally with three shows and appeared in world premieres elsewhere, including the Old Globe’s “Bright Star” in 2014.
“If I hadn’t realized my dreams in New York and been on Broadway, there’s a chance I might still be out there trying,” she said. “Not only did that fill me up but it also opened my eyes to the fact that people can have other dreams. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, always wanted to have kids. I have other dreams to see about.”
‘Waitress’
When: Opens Wednesday, June 4, and runs through June 21. 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays
Where: Moonlight Amphitheatre, Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Tickets: $25-$67
Info: 760-724-2110
Online: moonlightstage.com
