iTunes Exclusive Episode Waitress The Musical
Rob, Don, Chad, and Alex review the musical stage adaptation of Waitress, now playing at Dallas Summer Musicals at the AT&T Performing Arts Center through April 8th. The production features Desi Oakley as Jenna, a diner server and pie maker navigating an unexpected pregnancy and a new doctor from out of town. The hosts praise the innovative staging, strong ensemble cast chemistry, and how the stage adaptation deepens character development beyond the original 2007 indie film.
About this episode
Key takeaways
- The production uses a simple but versatile set design with moving columns and pyrex pie displays that interact with a mobile platform housing the live band
- Every major character receives their own lead song and equal stage time, creating balanced storytelling beyond the typical musical formula
- The musical was Broadway's first production with all-female major creative roles—producers, writer, and composer Sarah Borrelson
- The show contains adult themes and suggestive material; not recommended for children
- Dallas Summer Musicals has announced Dear Evan Hansen for the year after next, plus upcoming productions including Aladdin, Hamilton, Fandoms, The Book of Mormon, and The Lion King
Q&A
Is the original Waitress film a musical?
No, it is a straight narrative indie film from 2007 starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. The stage adaptation is the first musical version.
Who plays the lead character Jenna in the stage production?
Desi Oakley plays Jenna, the main character who was played by Keri Russell in the 2007 film.
What makes the staging and set design unique?
The stage uses minimal but versatile set pieces that transform throughout the show. A movable platform holds the live band, and the musicians interact with cast members. Rotating set pieces and a rural highway backdrop create continuity while allowing quick transitions between locations.
Where should you sit to best experience this production?
The hosts recommend sitting close enough to see the detailed staging and movement, with suggestions ranging from orchestra seating to balcony views depending on preference and budget.
Read Transcript
i Greetings Empire member and or members and salutations as well. If you're hearing this voice it means the following conditions have been met at least once in your life you've checked out the Clubhouse podcast live every Sunday night seven eastern four Pacific your one-stop shop for all things pop culture. It also means you check us out on your favorite podcast app because it's time for hot tunes exclusive number 360 welcome my name is Rob on the executive producer of the Clubhouse podcast and I'm not alone for this episode joining me in the co-host chair is a man that's going to have a lot of questions because he's going to be the one asking them because he's the only one in the studio that's not going to really know what we're talking on this particular episode he is Chad welcome sir I belong in the dark I stay in the dark that's fair next to him is the official fact checker of this show and a man that if you read his review at www dot the clubhousepodcast.com our website probably he has no but there's a reason I'm saying that his in his review he talks about the fact that he has over two decades of restaurant experience which served him well in this particular episode you may know him as fun don't go it is mom and even down for them I'll calm down for it hello sir the moving waiting was true I do love that movie and you're absolutely right oh yeah if you don't trust me if you haven't seen it you probably don't want to say I've never done any of that rounding out the dais is a man that got to take in a musical for the first time in many many years with his lovely lady friend Alex is here hey don't and I will say that I do have experience with waiting and I allegedly you can't prove I didn't even right that's what all of us say that I've seen that film we will neither confirmed or tonight waiting waiting for the bus experience waiting for the bus or waiting for my no he's waiting for good deal what do you think he was talking about you're the one that set up the waiting you're gonna say server and this is how this starts whenever we do one of these things it is to review something and this is no exception but we're going to the stage kids because in town in our fairberg right now through April the 8th is the musical version of the film waitress or is that the soul pink yes sir think pallet your bandhouse some of musicals musical fair park for the environment we love those guys so much they let us come out and watch productions so we can tell you guys about them and we can tell you our thoughts on them so when I say the musical version this is based on the 2007 film that had the carry Russell and the Nathan Philly and in the Cheryl Heinz and the Jeremy Sisto and it's the story of a young lady in the American South they never quite say where but she is a server in a local diner but she is also very adept at pie making and every day she makes a new pie because she's been doing this and she was a little girl with her mother and so every day she makes a new pie that may reflect what's going on her life or may not she finds out in the beginning that she is prego which is a whole number in itself which is wonderful and it's not spaghetti sauce correct pregnant and so when she my brain hurts mansplaining 101 by Donald Ford I'd say he's better than that no what do you know I know you know I know better than that I try I try I don't know this is what you were doing no no this is what you need to look okay so back back on track we have autobiographical pies so what is pregnant hey so she goes to see her doctor because this is her first job but she finds out her doctor has retired and replacing her doctor is a guy from connect to kit connect and well I say it that way because they connect and then chaos ensues okay let me just start this particular review by saying I'm gonna stop saying something when it comes to our friends at Dallas Summer Musicals and at the AT&T Performing Arts Center I'm gonna stop saying they've set the bar because they keep beating it like for real like every time we see a production more often than not because we've seen some productions that we weren't big fans of let's just be real for a minute right but lately they just keep getting better and better and better and this is in that trend I loved this the stage is very very simple you have a column on either side of the stage that's that diamond plating but not like not like the kind that you walk on that you see on the side of a food truck right okay there's a column and there's three sections of it but what you realize is when the production starts the bottom section fades away in their little pyrax yeah right and so your background never changes it's a rural highway highway that's got the it's very Tom Cochran yeah because life is one um thank you for that long but everything else moves okay even the band is on a moving platform it's a it's a live band again Sarah Borrelson there's gonna be a piano with all because Sarah Borrelson did all the music for us yeah yeah yeah so the great Sarah Borrelson is a huge fan but they're actually on a movable platform that comes in and out and they're actually at certain points in this they actually interact with the cast yes because the piano is where one of the pyrax is so when they open the diner the main characters are taking the pies and they're putting them on the pyrax and the pyrax and it's kind of neat and it's almost like they use part of the piano as the yeah as the counter the counter for the pies and and like the servers go through and they refill the coffee for the for the musicians as they go around it's kind of anybody catch the scene where they were actually bobbing their head with the cast yes yes they were they were they were interacting with what was going on so you've got Desi Oakley plays Jenner Jenner's the main character that plays Kerry Russell played in the film then you have Ryan G Duncan plays Cal he's the Mel of the diner yeah he's their boss a Mel he was great yeah he's he's like he doesn't say or really do a ton but every time he spoke or interacted he stole every scene then you have to say anything he just point I know I'm going to screw this name up on my apology that's le and e is how it's spelled I don't know if it's Lenny or Lynn uh Klingerman plays Don she's kind of the goofy friend that she works with and then you have Becky played by charity angel Dawson who's the over the top she's the flow okay deal I love her she was great I love her so they're they're they're kind of like very very tight knit there's the three of them and then you have Joe who in the film is played by the great Andy Griffith played by Larry Marshall he's kind of the old guy that comes in he's the owner's well hello I don't know that we know that till the end do we yeah it says Joe's diner they basically cover but they but they never say that until the end I thought that was obvious no to me it was I put two and two together right off the back and that's why they put up with it like my intelligence can catch that hello you know what I'm actually gonna leave that in because reasons yeah so there is a sign that says Joe's got my diner and I don't think that was a surprise I didn't put that together until the until I was there with the outfits me neither but you know even the huge tipper every day and see now I mean just you couldn't put that together I know I put a three-piece jigsaw puzzle together but you know what in this case I'm with you Don yeah I'm with you because it didn't click with me don't I caught that was right off the bat for me okay and I get it okay they do I'll give you two points on that one I'll allow it you also have Earl who is her husband that's very very not good so he's not a good marriage if you put like you wonder if the Dixie chick song was written about this guy because his name is the same and if you've ever seen a lifetime movie he's everyone of them played by Nick Bailey he's pure red necked country red neck bunk into the tea with the mouth rules anything wrong with that part yeah the the doctor is played by Brian Fenghart and he has a nourishing or norm of play being played by Mike she's a queen and then you have OG because they're they're one of this there's a lot going on in this musical there's like three or four sub title or sub plots going on at any one time all right and one of them is Dawn deciding that she wants to start dating so because she's kind of geeky she's got the glasses in the ponytail and so she puts an online profile up so she needs a guy she has a meeting a guy named Ogi okay see with a bullet yes and that's his username oh god and he's played by Jeremy Morse so there's it's really a core of about eight or ten characters total okay but you've got a lot I mean but there's a lot of extras that are going through the deal too what I really really dug about this amongst other things because from a technology standpoint it's great all of the the it's kind of like when we saw Phantom and they would just turn something in it would be something else yes there's a lot of that here like they they turn around one of the sit set pieces and it's the wall to another set piece I'm a fan of that great transitions Don I know you'll agree with me because I want to review which is at www dot call bass podcast.com that's our website and he got it right the first time yeah proud of myself but you spent all those marbles outside of the great technology because the technology usage is very very good in this as well this script the it was adapted for the stage by Jesse Nelson by the way little piece of history for you waitress when it debuted on Broadway is the first time in history that all of the the major players the producers the writer the music writer everything all female and you can really in this they did a great presentation on that the start this production you could tell is what not talking on the way home with a fantastic paid for it who loved this thing I I loved it because she was smiling and laughing and looking over and she was happy in this thing but it was a what I call the opera audience this was made from the opera audience yeah it's a you could tell it's an excellent way to play it's a pro female story absolutely and it's great I think most four females but still the male gender can enjoy it but it's kind of beard oh absolutely it's it's it's based on what I mean it was an indie film but it can be seen as a check flight totally but what I liked about is the way the story's crafted it's it's Jenna's story but everybody has equal footing from a time standpoint everybody in the main cast really gets a chance to shine and they all do it's more than just a simple moment they I mean this like people have their own numbers in this and even within numbers there's separate things within some of the numbers that are they're helping further different storylines the way it's written everybody nails it I put in my review that a lot of these musicals that come out it's three or four players that have 80 90 percent of the songs every major character has their own lead song basically in this film and it works and it all works yeah so I'm the give and take with the cast is really really good I could definitely see like this is one of those where sometimes you see productions where people are like okay we're finished with this I'm going my separate ways I would bet that there is at least like half of that cast that's just going out for drinks together afterwards there's such great chemistry yeah I mean desi Oakley absolutely crushes it as the lead she has one of those voices that just projects well well what's interesting is did you notice that she was a lot more even in her singing docile at the beginning mm-hmm and it she seemed to get overshadowed by Becky and even Dawn when she would kind of break out of her shell for just a moment before going back in it worked with the character and it was perfect with the story because I can distinctly remember and it will be in my review how it was so bordering on downtrodden and almost mousey what's on where's it till the end that review will be at the clubhousepodcast.com that's our website but then by the end she's doing the production you're talking about and it's like where was great great control yes and like it just the story moves nicely there's never a point where I was like okay let's pick up the pace here a little bit it was it was paced really really nicely where act one ends is where it's supposed to end so and as as per normal act two does go a lot faster that's the way kind of things go black one always stretches a little bit act two goes a lot quicker but I loved all the musical numbers in this and one thing about the music on this in some of these musicals it's pointless just singing these songs are present I'm talking to you a lot of some of the productions we've seen it's just let's have a song here let's have a song there body body body these songs had a lot to do with what was going on at the time and it had a good mix of being a musical with that good amount of music that was important and fit with the amount of seriousness in comedy and it's had a perfect mix and pull because some of these productions we've seen let's sing a song la da da da let's sing a song la da da da just for seeing this one really had broadway casting agents that's don't at the clubhouse podcast dot com for these somebody do the slick restore he got a lot of body down I went to the stream wait a minute stop just don't don't no we called that a call back kids you're hanging up on that phone back I choose a 367 I mean there's just there there's nothing that I found that I could criticize in this production it's fun this is this is parents night out let's be clear on some do not bring the kids because there are some very adult themes and a couple of adult sequences in this bad boy and serious suggestive material very much so I mean even even one of the pies that she introduces I was like that means two things that means two things while there was also a scene where somebody was eating pie and it felt almost uncomfortable yes but the the thing was there was so many shout outs I'd want to give a shout out to I'd shout it to the whole but I'll tell you I'll tell you who almost steals the whole thing is morse yeah oh the character of ogie I don't even know how I could describe him fabulous kind of you know chat you listen to bablon oh yeah that's amazing that's all I just like he's so funny and at first like he the heat she goes out on a date with him which doesn't happen on screen but it doesn't really go well but that he continues to pursue her and the more you find out that they have in common and it's just like perfect it works like everything everybody and everybody understands that give and take so when one person's being featured everybody else is it just like you said I feel like they all just hang out when they're together because the chemistry is so good and everybody understands how to lift everybody up like nurse Norma she but I put in my review it's like the stereotypes where's everybody www dot the clubhouse podcast.com that's our website there's a lot of stereotypes but these people fit into the to the tea you have the the sassy waitress you have the pure redneck husband home alone you know they make me some dinner honey but I will say what there's a net there's a number that they have together that's called you will still be mine oh yeah that but you actually even get to see a little bit deeper into the character of Earl that I think I want to miss which I which I got to give it to him that way I mean with a stereotype she got the the cook as as Cal behind there with his a last stereotypical phrases in actions same with nurse Norma everybody fits that stereotype perfectly but it's done well exactly it's not it's there is stereotypes but it's not stereotypical yeah exactly I think that's I think that's maybe what you're trying to say that and that is such a delicate balance it is and they and they walk it masterfully I really there's nothing about this production I didn't truly enjoy chat are there any questions that you have no I think y'all covered it pretty well anything else you want to put out there for us well as the person who may not I I know I'm not the target demographic but I had a hard time with this story I mean it's it's hard to say that I was impressed with how much they did with the sets despite them not really being much because at times there was just a backdrop and a table and they would use every inch of the stage but then there's other times where it's like okay could I watch lifetime this is the same stuff you see over and over again I'm not the target demographic and even sensational Shawnee was like I don't know if I should feel good for these characters because they're doing things that aren't exactly more I don't I don't think that it's I but I think it's intentionally done that way like you want you want things to work out but at the same time you understand that there's some right various goings on that are making things happen so it's more and boy this is gonna be a terrible no pun intended moment okay but this is more of a slice of life kind of thing I've think in the field good movie of the year in some of these musicals we've seen there is no plot really when you come to it's just singing this one has a real serious plot but music it's made into musical perfectly I thought oh no it was a really good show it was just it's this source material that I I had a hard time with and even having sensational Shawnee be like I hate my gender a little bit after this but you know but it does make me want to go back and watch the film that it because my plus one friend of the show Sarah Carter was with me and she loves the film like she's seen the film a million times and I asked her after was I'm like she's like no everything hit all the notes there wasn't anything that from the film that made me that she was there's a couple things that go into a little bit deeper here than they do in the in the film like I'm working but she's like I really I thought it was really well done and I'm glad I came so yeah is the film a musical at all no no no no it's a straight narrative it was an indie film that wasn't even done I want to say it was barely done in enough time for Sundance when it debuted no actually no it was done I'm thinking of something else but now this this is this is one of those it was an indie film that just caught fire yeah so anything else before we get to file analysis no all right we do the file analysis on the show we're not going to give you thumbs up thumbs down we're not going to give you numbers letter grades order up anything like that we're going to ask up to two questions question number one is would we see this again if the answers know then we're done here but if the answer is yes then the follow question since this is a stage production the question begins where do you want to sit because of course the closer you sit the higher the ticket price and the more you're invested Alex will start with you because this is your your first theater experience with the show would you see this production again yes I would where would you sit to do it I don't know if I'd go full orchestra I would want to be close enough because there's so much going on but because where we sat was audience left rear rear in the in the back section but not in the balcony right so you know I bet the balcony would be the right place to see this just because there's so much going on okay Dawn would you see this again that's definite were you sitting um because inside the pie case tasty pie because my wife loved this so much I never seen her love of production so much she laughed she smiled that made me happy beyond belief that's awesome with the the everything I talked about how much I loved it to get into the building or like Chad says the river dance spot where we sat we had that river dance spot yeah you guys are down low yeah we were perfect I mean whatever the price is if you have to pay a hundred fifty bucks to get centered to get pay it it's worth it I would see it again but I don't know that I have a preference like it wouldn't offend me to spend good money on these on seats for this because it's really really well done but if I had to spend less money just so that I could be there that would be fine too like I wouldn't be bummed if I had to sit up top either just get into the building yeah it's an excellent production it is the musical version of waitress for me this whole thing yes sir we got to think everybody Dallas summer musicals musical fair park ball act for the invite Dallas summer musicals.com I'm telling you you need to go to that website right now because they've announced not only next year but the year after they've announced the first production and it's gonna hit like a rocket because if you remember last year when we did the high school musical awards for our friends are there Dallas summer musicals there was one musical every one of those kids was talking about and it was dear Evan Hansen and it's coming year after next so you want to go out there and get your tickets now especially with next year being Aladdin and Hamilton and fandoms coming back again book of Mormons on the deal next year.
Lion King's coming up. Yeah I'm ready for that I hope they let us in the door we're going to review it for you that being said let's do the plugs visit our website the aforementioned www.theclubhousepodcast.com find out everything you need to know and some stuff you don't follow us on social media twitter is clubhouse show everything else is the clubhouse podcast all three words in that order or you will wind up somewhere else you can follow me on social media if you would like everything is yes that Rob Irvin that is both ERV I and I am at Chad MPG 6.9 I am vexplit on all social media and remember that is the clubhousepodcast.com for the reviews and I'm at fond dongle on twitter 2 is at the end and email me at don at theclubhousepodcast.com email Don for information about us coming and doing a live remote show we love hanging out with the empire and broadcasting live you can email me questions comments concerns tell me to go pound sand I'm Rob at theclubhousepodcast.com I am Chad at theclubhousepodcast.com Charlotte Parker's on Pinterest because we are morally obligated to say that Joe's woman got the house waiting on her husband faith forward at home waiting on her husband our normal show every Sunday night seven Eastern four Pacific as you're one stop shop or all things pop culture or just keep subscribing on your favorite podcast app and you get all the cool stuff like this so for Alex for Don for Chad and the empire I'm Rob clubhouse is closed pretty just do I have to tell you every time how much you need to put Britney Palmer in these things come on man