As the Broadway musical Waitress enters its third-year on the Great White Way, producers have a bit of exciting news to go with the anniversary. Sara Bareilles, the singer-songwriter who wrote the musical’s Tony-nominated score, will make her return to Broadway in the role of Jenna, a role she has tackled before. For the limited engagement that lasts from January 7 to February 3, 2019, the multi-platinum-selling Grammy and twice Tony-nominated singer-songwriter will be joined by Tony-winner Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!) in the role of Dr. Pomatter.
Remembering Applause
Imagine setting out to write a musical based on one of the most celebrated screenplays of all time, only to find that you cannot secure permission to use it, but you can get the rights to write a musical based on the short story that that screenplay was based on. Are you confused yet? This is essentially what happened when Sidney Michaels (book), Charles Strouse (music) and Lee Adams (lyrics) encountered when writing the musical Applause. Applause is based on the 1946 Mary Orr short story “The Wisdom of Eve”, which was, of course, the basis for the 1950 20th Century Fox film and Academy Award winning Best Picture All About Eve.
Remembering Goldilocks
When a musical flops, it hurts, especially when it has a score that is fun and infectious, superseding a troubled book that doesn’t quite create the structure needed to make the whole piece come together. The 1958 Broadway musical Goldilocks was one of those ill-fated musicals, possessing a parade of delightful ditties sandwiched into a plot that just refused to work.