The sugar and flour the cast were sprinkling on stage must’ve gotten in my eye during the performance of “Waitress” at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, because I couldn’t stop the tears from running throughout the entire performance. The entire production is meticulous and crisp, and the production team have somehow managed to find a really witty cast with the warmest and smoothest tones I’ve ever heard live. With 2026 being Waitress’ 10th anniversary, it’s no surprise that the hit Sara Bareilles songs and book by Jessie Nelson bring back the fire to theatres, alongside direction by Diane Paulus, beautiful restaging by Abbey O’Brien and diverse choreography by Lorin Latarro.
“Waitress” is a musical set in the American South, about a waitress named Jenna who accidentally falls pregnant with her husband Earl’s baby, but she is deeply unhappy in her relationship and dreams of leaving him. She uses her work at Joe’s Pie Diner to distract herself from her misery. Her coworkers and closest friends Dawn and Becky are by her side as she balances and navigates pregnancy, a broken marriage and a passionate affair with her doctor.
Lucie Jones returns as Jenna for several performances of the UK Tour, and it was an honour to watch her perform on stage. She is wildly talented, particularly vocally, and every song is so emotional and raw. She has phenomenal chemistry with each actor on stage, and her romantic chemistry with Dan Partridge as Dr. Pomatter is incredibly natural, and their voices blended beautifully during ‘You Matter To Me’. Partridge is also the actor that got the most laughs out of me for his fervently theatrical humour.
Les Dennis as Joe is also wonderful to watch, as he manages to keep Joe, a grumpy old man, very likeable. It’s no secret that I am a fanatic of the female trio trope, and Evie Hoskins’ Dawn and Bernadette Bangura’s Becky are fabulous alongside Jones. Their charisma, high energy and comedic timing throughout are wonderfully enjoyable. Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez’s Nurse Norma is certainly a main highlight of the show: with her cheeky quips and hilarious reactions, she brings so much character.
Dan O’Brien as Cal and Mark Anderson as Ogie are excellent fits for their roles, and my partner, who only came to see ‘Never Getting Rid Of Me’, adored Anderson’s rendition and the quirky number.
The ensemble are well put together and generally seem to be having a fun time on stage. I’d like to give The Waitress Band a virtual round of applause, as they bring just as much realism to the scenes as the ensemble do, in particular, bassist Nathan Finn, who got involved in every diner scene and had a massive grin on his face during every funny moment.
The staging for this show is exquisite. I can’t begin to describe how many moving pieces there are, and there wasn’t a single noticeable issue or stutter with scene transitions, thanks to the talented cast and crew. Scott Pask’s set design and Ken Billington’s lighting design blended so gorgeously with the blocking, and the diner itself was visually stunning. Costume design by Suttirat Anne Larlarb and sound design by Rob Bettle are also very well done, with plenty of changes and thematic choices.
You know what you’re signing up for with Waitress: it’s an exploration of darker themes blended with recognisable songs and plenty of cheesy, bright moments. What you don’t know (but I will warn you now) is that once the waterworks start, they don’t stop.
“Waitress” is running from Tuesday 13th to Saturday 17th October 2026 at the Sheffield Lyceum, with tickets and more information available at: https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/waitress-2026 The UK Tour will then continue, heading to the Salford Lowry next, with information available at: https://waitressthemusical.co.uk/
Reviewer: Natalia Prucnal
Reviewed: 13th October 2026
North West End UK Rating: