When people think about the musical “Waitress,” they often two things: The whimsical names of the pies baked by diner waitress Jenna and the beautiful and heartbreaking song she sings at the nadir of her life, “She Used to Be Mine.”
Fortunately there are pies aplenty in Moonlight Stage Productions’ regional theater premiere of “Waitress,” which opened Wednesday night at Vista’s Moonlight Amphitheatre. And the show’s star, Lulu Lloyd, sings the hell out of Jenna’s signature song.
Those are high points in the Vista production directed by Noelle Marion, which also features some great character performances, very funny scenes and well-performed songs. But some songs in composer Sara Bareilles’ score are forgettable, the humor feels too broad in places and a couple of scenes and ensemble songs felt under-rehearsed on opening night.
The 2015 Broadway musical was inspired by the 2007 indie film of the same name. Jenna is stuck in an abusive marriage and pregnant with a baby she’s not sure she wants. Impulsively, she embarks on an affair with her married gynecologist and secretly plots to win a regional pie-baking contest so she can use the prize money to divorce her husband and leave town.
Although it’s a cheerfully upbeat show, there’s also a dark layer of melancholy. Four of its main characters are in unhappy marriages and cheating on their spouses, which is sometimes awkwardly played for laughs. This isn’t a simple feel-good story. It’s about a group of unfulfilled and complicated people searching for a slice of happiness in their lives.
Lloyd is authentic and sympathetic as Jenna and she can really sing Bareilles’ vocally challenging, multi-octave songs. Bryan Banville is another standout as her doctor/lover Dr. Pomatter. He’s got a pure and strong singing voice and makes his ethically challenged character likable.
Ralph Johnson is absolutely wonderful, warm and endearing as the cafe’s cranky-but-soft-hearted owner Joe. And the duo of Emma Nossal as nerdy waitress Dawn and Jonathan Sangster as her oddball dream man Ogie have sweet chemistry and some hilarious moments together, particularly in Sangster’s comic stalker solo “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me.”
The scenery by Julia Hayes Welch is exceptional, with evocative background video designs by Blake McCarty. Janet Pitcher designed costumes, Ryan Marsh designed sound and Samantha Terrell designed lighting. Tamara Paige is the show’s musical director/conductor and Katie Banville designed choreography.
A word to showgoers, “Waitress” is being d by Moonlight as PG-13. There’s quite a bit of sexual humor, jokes and gestures in the production and some mild depictions of domestic violence. It’s a good show for grown-ups, but leave the kids at home.
‘Waitress’
When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Through June 21
Where: Moonlight Amphitheatre, Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Tickets: $41-$62 (show is rated PG-13 for sexual situations and depictions of domestic violence)
Info: 760-724-2110
Online: moonlightstage.com
