Sara Bareilles & Gavin Creel to star together in Waitress on Broadway

Bareilles and Creel will play Jenna and Dr. Pomatter, respectively, from January 7 to February 3, 2019 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Sugar, Butter, Flour, Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel! For a limited engagement from January 7 through to February 3, 2019, the pairing of Tony Award nominee and Waitress composer Sara Bareilles and Tony Award winner Gavin Creel will delight audiences at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, as Jenna and Dr. Pomatter, respectively. This will mark Bareilles' third run as the leading lady of her own musical.

She commented: "It's Waitress's THIRD anniversary on Broadway!!! To celebrate, I'm putting on the apron once again alongside one of my besties!! We are launching this celebratory anniversary year with a limited engagement return to the diner with one of my dearest friends, Tony winner Gavin Creel as Dr. Pomatter!!! We have THREE productions of Waitress running (Welcome London!!) and this is my THIRD time in my beloved Jenna's shoes. I can't think of anything I would rather do to kick off this incredible milestone year than return to my favorite place on earth next to the one and only Gavin Creel. Come see us and celebrate Waitress turning 3!!"

As a recording artist, Sara Bareilles has sold over one million albums and over nine million singles/downloads in the United States alone. Her seven Grammy Award nominations include "Song of the Year" for "Love Song," "Album of the Year" for "The Blessed Unrest," "Best Musical Theater Album" for Waitress (which also earned her a Tony Award nomination for "Best Original Score Written for the Theatre" in 2016), and, just today, she received a second Grammy nomination for "Best Musical Theater Album" for her Emmy-nominated turn as Mary Magdalene in NBC's "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert". She also wrote the number "Poor Pirates" for the Tony-nominated score of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Gavin Creel won his Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! at the 2017 ceremony and had been previously nominated for his turns in Hair in 2009 and Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002. His other Broadway credits include She Loves Me, The Book of Mormon, and La Cage aux Folles. He also won the Olivier Award in 2014 for originating the role of Elder Price in the West End production of The Book of Mormon.

The current principal cast of Waitress includes Nicolette Robinson (as Jenna), Drew Gehling (as Dr. Pomatter), NaTasha Yvette Williams (as Becky), Lenne Klingaman (as Dawn), Ben Thompson (as Earl), Academy Award nominee June Squibb (as Josie), Benny Elledge (as Cal), and Alex Wyse (as Ogie).

As previously announced, three-time Tony Award nominee and original company member Christopher Fitzgerald is also set to the Broadway production, reprising his Tony-nominated role as Ogie from December 11, 2018.

Waitress officially opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 24 April 2016, following previews from 25 March.

Waitress is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by six-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus.

Synopsis: "Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, the musical follows Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop forever... until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town's handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she's been missing all along - courage."

The creative team features scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Suttirat Larlarb, lighting design by Christopher Akerlind and sound design by Jonathan Deans.

Waitress is produced on Broadway by Barry & Fran Weissler and Norton & Elayne Herrick.

Waitress Tickets are available now for performances through to September 1, 2019.

^{(Photo courtesy of Sara Bareilles)}