Along with writer/director Adrienne Shelly, Andrew Hollander co-wrote "Baby Don't You Cry (The Pie Song)." for the original movie. Which in my opinion is a better song than any of the songs by Sara Bareilles in this Broadway musical version of the story. I was really surprised, and disappointed, that they didn't include it. The songs by Bareilles, like "Sugar,flour,butter" were fine as far as moving the story along, but most of them werent something that you would go home humming, much less singing. Like most musicals, if you took out the songs you would have a 30 minute drama or comedy. A lot of songs in musicals, no matter how well done, are mainly there to pad out a thin story. This story is entertaining and touching, but at nearly 2 and 1 half hours long, its stretched a little too thin by the music. If youre thrilled by repeatedly having people belting out songs at the top of their voices, maybe its not long enough. I enjoyed the original film more than this version. To me, without really great songs, musicals are redundant. I recognize the talent involved in the performances, but you need great songs to make a great musical.

My Review- Waitress : The Musical My Rating- 7/10 In Cinemas now

It's rare indeed that the composer and lyricist of a successful Broadway musical gets to perform the starring role in their own creation but Sara Bareilles achieves this in Waitress . She wrote this musical with Jesse Nelson in 2015 and based it on the 2007 movie of of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly.

As a lover of the great Broadway musicals like Oklahoma, Sweet Charity, Hello Dolly and Company to name a few I have to say musically Waitress is a very average modern musical but very entertaining.

I doubt we will ever see the fabulous era of the stage musicals of Gershwin, Porter, Berlin ,Rogers and Hammerstein, Jerry Herman , Kander and Ebb or Sondheim ever again except in constant revivals.

This is partly due to the economics of producing a new musical on stage but mainly due to changes in the audience's tastes that pay huge ticket prices to see them.

Sara Bareilles plays Jenna Hunterson a waitress and expert pie maker living in a one horse town in a loveless marriage to a bully of a husband who regards her as his property and source of income.

Jenna works at Joe's Pie Diner alongside her two co workers Becky played beautifully by Charity Dawson and Dawn Pinkett a modern Ado Annie type played by Caitlin Houlahan.

This trio of Waitresses provide the best moments of the show as they support Jenna after she finds out reluctantly that after a rare one night of make up sex she's pregnant to her oafish husband Earl played by Joe Tippett who in real life is engaged to this movies star Sara Bareilles.

Becky describes Earl well in the show when he is displaying his name tattooed across his chest . She says he's so dumb he needs the tattoo in case he forgets his name .

Jenna wants a better life for her baby but gets involved with her gynaecologist Dr Pomatter played by Drew Gehling.

This further complicates her goal to enter and win first prize in a pie baking contest to escape her marriage.

Special mention to a great supporting male performance in Waitress by Christopher Fitzgerald who plays Ogie the awkward very odd but kind suitor of Dawn Pinkett .

He steals the show with his two comedy numbers You're Never Getting Rid of Me and I Love You Like A Table.

He was in the original Broadway cast and it must have stopped the show live.

I must mention this is not a film version of a Broadway musical it's a film of a special revival stage performance with a live audience in a theatre so I think I would have enjoyed it more watching the live performance.

I wish all the great Broadway shows of the past could have been filmed in the quality that Waitress has . Luckily one was preserved the original restoration version of the 1943 groundbreaking Rogers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma can be viewed on YouTube it truly is stunning.

Summing up as a musical average but very entertaining with a very talented cast worth seeing, yes definitely.

Based on an overrated indie movie, Waitress tells the story of a waitress and baker with dreams, a terrible husband, and an unexpected problem. The songs, by star Sara Bareilles, are unusual for a Broadway musical, because they're pretty much Sara Bareilles pop songs, but she's an excellent songwriter and her songs work for both herself and others.

This musical is beautifully staged. This is a filmed stage performance, and often those make you think, this would have been amazing in the theater, but this captures the staging so well that I'm not sure that it would have been better in a theater (probably not with the Broadways seats in my budget).

It's funny, it's touching, the songs and choreography are terrific, the performers are terrific (virtually every significant character gets their own big number), and well, it's just really, really good.

It's also apparently really, really obscure - there are only 6 user reviews as I write this - but it should be better known, so watch it if you have the chance.