REVIEW: Waitress serves up laughter, heart and outstanding music at Bournemouth Pavillion

Warm, witty and wonderfully entertaining, Waitress is the theatrical equivalent of a fun, easy read, with some more serious moments mixed into its very sweet recipe.

By Emma Collins - Business Editor

There is something rather special about taking your mum to the theatre, particularly when the theatre itself holds so many memories.

My mum had not visited Bournemouth Pavilion for years and years, but as soon as we arrived, she said it looked just as she remembered it. Sitting inside the beautiful, historic theatre prompted stories of the performers she had seen there many moons ago and brought back memories of evenings out from another chapter of her life.

There was a lovely sense of nostalgia to it, but the Pavilion certainly did not feel stuck in the past. The theatre was packed for Waitress, with men and women of all ages filling the audience and creating a brilliant atmosphere before the show had even begun.

I went into Waitress hoping for an enjoyable evening, and that is exactly what it delivered. It is warm, fluffy and wonderfully easy to watch - the musical theatre equivalent of curling up with a fun book that makes you laugh, keeps you entertained and leaves you feeling good afterwards.

That is not to say the story is without substance. Beneath the humour, colourful characters and irresistible references to pie, Waitress explores some serious subjects, including an unhappy and controlling marriage, an unexpected pregnancy and a woman trying to find the confidence to take control of her own future.

At the centre of it all is Jenna, an expert pie-maker working at Joe’s Diner. Stuck in a marriage that is making her miserable, she dreams of creating a different life for herself and sees a pie-making competition as a possible route towards it.

Emma Lucia is superb as Jenna. She brings real warmth and vulnerability to the character while also possessing an absolutely outstanding singing voice. Jenna has to carry both the emotional weight of the story and many of its biggest musical moments, and Emma makes it appear effortless.

Her fellow waitresses, Becky and Dawn, provide friendship, support and plenty of laughs. Evelyn Hoskins plays the wonderfully geeky Dawn with brilliant comic timing. She has an endearing, slightly Velma-from-Scooby-Doo quality, making every nervous expression, awkward movement and uncomfortable encounter count.

Dawn’s developing relationship with the gloriously eccentric Ogie is one of the funniest parts of the production. Her new man is completely hilarious and utterly committed to winning her over. Their scenes together are wonderfully over-the-top, and the audience clearly loved every moment.

The humour continues with Dr Pomatter, whose perfectly timed delivery makes even the most awkward situations incredibly funny. The production includes several intimate and suggestive scenes, but they are not explicit. Instead, they are cleverly staged and played for laughs - and they are very funny.

There is a lovely balance between humour and seriousness throughout. The story does not ignore the reality of Jenna’s marriage, and her husband Earl is genuinely unpleasant. He is played so convincingly that the actor received some playful boos from the audience during the curtain call - a funny and well-intentioned acknowledgement of just how effectively he had inhabited the role.

While the performances are excellent across the board, one of the biggest surprises for me was the live band. Rather than simply providing accompaniment in the background, the musicians become a visible and important part of the production.

The music felt every bit as central to the experience as the story itself. There were times when I found myself watching the musicians as closely as the actors. 

And then there are the voices. The singing throughout is exceptional, with the cast belting out Sara Bareilles’ songs without a bad note between them. The control, strength and sheer power of the vocals are hugely impressive. Honestly, the lungs on them!

Another detail worth mentioning is the cast’s American accents. Accents can sometimes be distracting in a production set in America, particularly when they slip in and out, but that never happened here. They were so convincing and consistent that I completely forgot I was watching British actors.

The laughter from the packed Pavilion audience continued throughout the evening, but it was the response at the end that really said it all. The cast received a well-deserved standing ovation, with people across the theatre on their feet applauding.

Waitress is ultimately a story about friendship, resilience and finding the courage to create a better life. It handles its more difficult themes with sensitivity but never loses the warmth and humour that make it such a joyful evening at the theatre.

It is funny, uplifting, beautifully performed and filled with exceptional music. You may also find yourself craving pie before the interval.

Watching it inside the grand surroundings of Bournemouth Pavilion with my mum reminiscing about the stars she had seen on that same stage many years ago made the evening feel even more special. The Pavilion remains a wonderful part of Bournemouth’s cultural life: a place where old memories come flooding back and new ones are still being made.

Waitress is at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre until Saturday 29 August 2026. The production runs for approximately two hours and 35 minutes, including an interval, and has an age guidance of 13+. Tickets start from £18.