First National Tour
Successful Broadway shows are taken on tours of the USA, visiting states across the country to play to those who do not travel to New York, whilst the original is still playing. Waitress the Musical embarked on its First National Tour during 2018, concluding towards the end of 2019. This is a replica production of the Broadway show, directed by Diane Paulus and featuring actors who are part of Actors’ Equity Association.
Facts
- The entire stage and set is packed into six trucks that travel around the US; the show deck is laid down on top of the theatre’s existing deck, so it is identical no matter which theatre.
- The role of Lulu is locally cast in each area, with the two girls meeting the cast on the Tuesday for their first rehearsal.
- The cast arrive on the Monday before the show starts; their day off is their travel day. If the journey is under 350 miles, the cast take a bus, and if it’s over, they fly.
- The touring production is nearly identical to the Broadway production, however, there are minor choreography changes to tone down some of the sexual references, making them “less overtly sexual and more implied sexual,” according to Bryan Fenkart. There are also minor changes to language, removing some of the swearing from the original script.
Cast
Many of the First National Tour cast members had been in the Broadway production, either as understudies or ensemble cast members, but others were cast specifically for the tour. The cast evolved over the tour dates, depending on the venue, with the role of Lulu cast locally in each city.
First National Tour Cast
- Jenna – Desi Oakley, Christine Dwyer
- Dr. Pomatter – Bryan Fenkart, Steven Good
- Becky – Charity Angél Dawson, Maiesha McQueen, Melody A. Betts
- Dawn – Lenne Klingaman, Jessie Shelton, Ephie Aardema
- Cal – Ryan G. Dunkin
- Ogie – Jeremy Morse
- Earl – Nick Bailey, Matt DeAngelis, Jeremy Woodard
- Joe – Larry Marshall, Bill Nolte, Richard Kline
Ensemble & Understudies
- Jenna (Understudy) – Lulu Lloyd, Grace Stockdale, Kyra Kennedy, Emily Koch
- Dr. Pommater (Understudy) – Adam J. Levy, Brad Standley, Jim Hogan, Skyler Adams
- Becky (Understudy) – Rheaume Crenshaw, Tatiana Lofton, Maiesha McQueen, Arica Jackson, Chante Carmel
- Dawn (Understudy) – Gerianne Pérez, Grace Stockdale, Kyra Kennedy, Alex Tripp, Emily Koch
- Cal (Understudy) – David Hughey, Rashad Naylor, Patrick Dunn, Kolby Kindle, Mark Christine, Law Terrell Dunford
- Ogie (Understudy) – Kevin Zak, Adam J. Levy, Jim Hogan, Patrick Dunn, Mark Christine
- Earl (Understudy) – Adam J. Levy, Brad Standley, Jim Hogan
- Joe (Understudy) – Rashad Naylor, David Hughey, Donterrio Johnson, Kolby Kindle
Tour Dates
- Cleveland, Ohio – Playhouse Square 17 October 2017 ‑ 5 November 2017
- Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Theatre 7 November 2017 ‑ 12 November 2017
- Kansas City, Missouri – Music Hall 14 November 2017 ‑ 19 November 2017
- Minneapolis, Minnesota – Orpheum Theatre 21 November 2017 ‑ 26 November 2017
- Appleton, Wisconsin – Fox Cities P.A.C. 28 November 2017 ‑ 3 December 2017
- Des Moines, Iowa – Civic Center 5 December 2017 ‑ 10 December 2017
- Omaha, Nebraska – Orpheum Theatre 12 December 2017 ‑ 17 December 2017
- Denver, Colorado – Buell Theatre 19 December 2017 ‑ 31 December 2017
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Marcus Center 2 January 2018 ‑ 7 January 2018
- Cincinnati, Ohio – Aronoff Center 9 January 2018 ‑ 21 January 2018
- East Lansing, Michigan – Wharton Center 23 January 2018 ‑ 28 January 2018
- Baltimore, Maryland – Hippodrome 30 January 2018 ‑ 4 February 2018
- Buffalo, New York – Shea’s Pac 6 February 2018 ‑ 11 February 2018
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Forrest Theatre 13 February 2018 ‑ 18 February 2018
- Boston, Massachusetts – Boston Opera House 20 February 2018 ‑ 4 March 2018
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Benedum Center 6 March 2018 ‑ 11 March 2018
- Charlotte, North Carolina – Belk Theatre 13 March 2018 ‑ 18 March 2018
Lulu – Harper Kuehnle, Matilda McCullough - Orlando, Florida – Dr. Phillips Center 20 March 2018 ‑ 25 March 2018
- Dallas, Texas – Music Hall 28 March 2018 ‑ 8 April 2018
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – Broward Center 11 April 2018 ‑ 22 April 2018
- Tampa, Florida – Straz Center 24 April 2018 ‑ 29 April 2018
- Durham, North Carolina – Durham Pac 1 May 2018 ‑ 6 May 2018
- Greenville, South Carolina – Peace Center 8 May 2018 ‑ 13 May 2018
Lulu – Charlotte Bates, Regan Ciccarelli - Washington DC – National Theatre 15 May 2018 ‑ 3 June 2018
- Nashville, Texas – Tpac 5 June 2018 ‑ 10 June 2018
Lulu – Eleanor ‘Ellie’ James, Olivia James Graves - New Orleans, Louisiana – Saenger Theatre 12 June 2018 ‑ 17 June 2018
- Ft. Worth, Texas – Bass Hall 19 June 2018 ‑ 24 June 2018
- Louisville, Kentucky – Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts 26 June 2018 ‑ 1 July 2018 – Cancelled due to fire damage in the venue
- Chicago, Illinois – Palace Theatre 3 July 2018 ‑ 22 July 2018
- Madison, Wisconsin – Overture Center 24 July 2018 ‑ 29 July 2018
- Los Angeles, California – Pantages Theatre 2 August 2018 ‑ 26 August 2018
- Seattle, Washington – Paramount Theatre – 11 September 2018 – 16 September 2018
- Portland, Oregon – Keller Auditorium – 18 September 2018 – 23 September 2018
- Salt Lake City, Utah – George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theatre – 25 September 2018 – 30 September 2018 [Desi Oakley performed on 25-27 September; Christine Dwyer took over on 28 September]
- Tempe, Arizona – ASU Gammage – 2 October 2018 – 7 October 2018
- Las Vegas, Nevada – Smith Center For Performing Arts – 9 October 2018 – 14 October 2018
- San Francisco, California – Golden Gate Theatre – 16 October 2018 – 11 November 2018
- Costa Mesa, California – Segerstrom Center for the Arts – 13 November 2018 – 25 November 2018
- San Diego, California – Civic Theatre – 27 November 2018 – 2 December 2018
- Tucson, Arizona – Centennial Hall at the University of Arizona – 4 December 2018 – 9 December 2018
- Spokane, Washington – First Interstate Center for the Arts – 12 December 2018 – 16 December 2018
- Sacramento, California – Sacramento Community Center Theater – 27 December 2018 – 5 January 2019
Lulu – Zoey Lack, Bridget Werner - San Antonio, Texas – Majestic Theatre – San Antonio – 8 January 2019 – 13 January 2019
- Memphis, Tennessee – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis – 15 January 2019 – 20 January 2019
- Austin, Texas – Bass Concert Hall at University of Texas – 22 January 2019 – 27 January 2019
- Houston, Texas – Hobby Center For The Performing Arts – 29 January 2019 – 3 February 2019
- Atlanta, Georgia – Fox Theatre – 5 February 2019 – 10 February 2019
Lulu – Harper Allegra, Riley Madison Fuller - Richmond, Virginia – Altria Theater – 12 February 2019 – 17 February 2019
- Naples, Florida – Hayes Hall – 19 February 2019 – 24 February 2019
- Miami, Florida – Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts – 26 February 2019 – 3 March 2019
- West Palm Beach, Florida – Raymond F. Kravis Center For The Performing Arts – 5 March 2019 – 10 March 2019
- Jacksonville, Florida – Moran Theatre at Times Union Center – 12 March 2019 – 17 March 2019
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Civic Center Music Hall – 19 March 2019 – 24 March 2019
- St. Louis, Missouri – Fox Theatre – St. Louis – 26 March 2019 – 7 April 2019
- Fayetteville, Arkansas – Walton Arts Center – 9 April 2019 – 14 April 2019
- Tulsa, Oklahoma – Chapman Music Hall At Tulsa Performing Arts Center – 16 April 2019 – 21 April 2019
- Indianapolis, Indiana – Murat Centre – 23 April 2019 – 28 April 2019
- Grand Rapids, Michigan – Devos Hall – 30 April 2019 – 5 May 2019
- Detroit, Michigan – Fisher Theatre – 7 May 2019 – 19 May 2019
Lulu – Caroline Hubbard, Leyna Harris - Worcester, Massachusetts – Hanover Theatre – 22 May 2019 – 26 May 2019
Lulu – Everleigh Clark, Charlotte Currier-Brown - Providence, Rhode Island – Providence Performing Arts Center – 28 May 2019 – 2 June 2019
- Rochester, New York – Rochester Broadway Theatre League – 4 June 2019 – 9 June 2019
- Schenectady, New York – Proctor’s Theatre – 11 June 2019 – 16 June 2019
- Hartford, Connecticut – Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts – 18 June 2019 – 23 June 2019
- Dayton, Ohio – Victoria Theatre – 25 June 2019 – 30 June 2019
- Toronto, Ontario – Ed Mirvish Theatre – 9 July 2019 – 18 August 2019 [Desi Oakley performed]
On-Sale Pies and Cocktails
Each venue of the First National Tour of Waitress the Musical worked with local bakeries and suppliers to create their own range of mini pies, available for sale to visitors of the diner. Some venues also created bespoke ranges of cocktails, such as:
Sit On Your Ass Sangria
Red or White Wine Sangria
I Don’t Want A Baby
Absolut Citron, Lemon Monin, Triple Sec and Sierra Mist
I’m Having an Affair
Beefeater Gin, Blackberry Monin, Triple Sec and Sierra Mist
I Wanna Play Doctor
Bacardi Rum, Strawberry Pucker and Sierra Mist
Tropical Mermaid
Malibu Rum, Triple Sec, Pina Colada Slushy
Old Joe’s Horny Past
Pecan Pie Whiskey and Ginger Ale topped with Whipped Cream