Waitress – Bradford Alhambra

The Great British Bake Off had been going for some years when Waitress hit the West End a decade ago, so there was a ready made audience for a show based on cakes….or pies as they are known stateside.

This warm hearted musical uses the ingredients waitress Jenna Hunterson uses in her unique pies as a metaphor for the trials and tribulations of her life and those around her. Waitress is actually much like Jenna’s pies, a bittersweet affair as whilst Jessie Nelson’s book celebrates the tight community that work and eat in her southern diner, Jenna is not only trapped in an abusive relationship with her husband Earl, but reluctantly expecting his baby. She escapes her grim life through an affair with her obstetrician Dr Pomatter and dreaming of winning a pie-baking contest to escape from Earl.

Waitress is based on the 2007 movie directed by Adrienne Shelly, who was tragically murdered before its release, so the fact Waitress has become a hit musical is a tribute to her, and the strength of her blue collar characters. Tony nominated composer Sara Bareilles has added words and music, played by a tight onstage band led by Francesca Warren on a grand piano. Scott Pask’s bright set cleverly switches the action from Joe’s Pie Diner where Jenna and her waitress mates Becky and Dawn dream of a better life to the grim trailer she shares with Earl.

If an artist was ever born to sing a showstopper then Carrie Hope Fletcher was meant to sing the wistful She Used to Be Mine, which she infected with exactly the right mix of pathos and defiance earning a huge ovation. Hope Fletcher uses her big personality to cleverly navigate Jenna’s complex life choices, even prepping pies onstage, and has great chemistry with Dan Partridge’s Dr Pomatter during their duet You Matter to Me.

Emmerdale star Sandra Marvin switched from the local Dales to the Deep South as Becky, and her bluesy version of I Didn’t Plan It was a vocal powerhouse. Evelyn Hoskins as neurodivergent Dawn was just on the right side of dorky, and credit to David Mairs-McKenzie who stepped into the role of her odd boyfriend Ogie, making the slightly sinister Never Getting Rid of Me less creepy through his energy.  Les Dennis continues his run of great musical theatre performances as grumpy diner owner Joe who has a soft spot for Jenna. The hard working ensemble offer backing vocals and crisply moved through Brenda Newhouse’s simple but effective choreography.

Bake Off fans will love this show, but for the rest of us Waitress is a tasty slice of musical pie that offers an enticing mix of bittersweet ingredients.

Waitress is at Bradford Alhambra until Saturday 18th April. To book 01274 432000 or www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

Reviewer: Paul Clarke

Reviewed: 13th April 2026

North West End UK Rating: