Market House Theatre in Paducah is presenting the musical “Waitress” this month. Based on the book by Jessie Nelson, which was turned into a 2007 film of the same name, “Waitress” follows Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie maker, as she navigates an abusive marriage and an unwanted pregnancy. Jenna grows close to her gynecologist and decides to compete in a pie making contest with a large cash prize that could help her escape her situation.
The cast includes a local ensemble of experienced performers. The music, written by Sara Bareilles, features pop and country influences, and will be performed by a live band.
Emily Yocum Black, a veteran performer and singer, plays the lead role of Jenna. She said Jenna’s life is difficult and she copes with baking, but everything changes dramatically when, at the beginning of the show, she receives unexpected news.
“She has a rather difficult life, but a life that's in stasis. She sees a waitress at a diner so she doesn't make very much money, living paycheck to paycheck. Her husband, Earl, is emotionally and physically abusive,” Black said. “So really, pie making is her big escape, as well as her two best friends, who are also waitresses at Joe's Pie Diner. And the show opens with her discovering that she is pregnant with an unwanted pregnancy. And so that sort of throws her life into a totally new direction.”
Black said Jenna sees an escape from her situation. She decides it may be time to leave her old life behind and an upcoming event serves as a great source of hope for her.
“She starts to realize that she probably needs to try and get out of this relationship,” she said. “There's a pie contest that is coming to a town nearby with a prize money of $20,000 and that is a lot of money. So that really prompts her to feel like, ‘oh, this might be my way out.’”
Black said Jenna reflects on her childhood often because of her father’s abuse of her mother. Jenna feels she’s never been loved by anyone but her mother, Black said – until one day when she meets her new doctor.
“She meets her new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter, and they sort of strike up some kind of a relationship during the show,” said Black. “It shows her that she can be loved, and that there are people out there who will make her feel important.”
Black said playing Jenna is a beast of a role, with a lot of stage time and singing, and that she enjoys playing opposite her husband, Fowler Black, who stars as Dr. Pomatter, the gynecologist.
“I think I leave the stage two or three times in each act for like, a maximum of 60 seconds. So it's a lot, but it's been really beautiful to enter into her world and into her mind. And the music is so beautiful. It is written by Sara Bareilles, I just adore singing this music,” she said. “It's an incredibly talented cast, and it's also a joy to share the stage with my husband again, Fowler, who's playing Dr. Pomatter. We met on the stage of the Market House, and have done several shows together in the past, and it's a joy to get to sing with him on stage again.”
Black said the cast is smaller, but made up of veterans and audiences are really in for a treat with “Waitress.”
“It is an exceptional cast. This is a more petite cast than maybe ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ which they put on last year…but mighty in talent. We’ve got Adrian Holloman, Jesse Elliott, Alec Wadley, Carter Parks, Danny Preklas, Chuck Wilkins, Kyllan Davis, Adyson Townsend, and my husband Fowler.”
She also said the soundtrack to the production itself was a pull for her to seek out the role of Jenna. As a voice instructor who also teaches musical theatre, she was familiar with some of the songs.
“I knew the soundtrack.There were a few songs from the show that I had taught to some of my students. Last summer, I had the opportunity to see ‘Waitress’ in St Louis, and it was just as amazing as I was expecting it to be,” Black said. “I just decided to audition. It had been four years since my husband or I had been in a show at the Market House, and we really wanted to do this one, so we auditioned and are super thrilled to be chosen to portray these characters.”
Black said she hoped that audiences come away from the performance with feelings of optimism.
“I hope they leave feeling that anything is possible and that things can change, and that there is hope. It's a really helpful show. It ends in a beautiful way and we hope audiences can come out and see it.”
Market House Theatre is presenting Waitress from June 5 through June 22. More information and tickets can be found at the theatre’s website.
