'Magical and otherworldly': Waitress arrives in Blackpool starring Carrie Hope Fletcher

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a musical which 1. Doesn’t shy away from harsh realities 2. Keeps an orchestra or band on stage front and centre and 3. Has moments of emotion and pure cheek and Waitress has all three. I should also include 4. A production which takes the risk to leave London and travel up to Lancashire.

Despite its 10 year anniversary as a musical, this was my first time seeing Waitress on stage (I’ve seen the film) and if you ever questioned the power of star power, this proves it works. This production stars not just Carrie Hope West End star Fletcher as Jenna but also Blackpool regular Les Dennis s ‘Old Joe’, the elderly and grump customer who turns out to own the diner.

I might as well admit I wanted to see Carrie Hope Fletcher IRL on stage after missing her last trip to the world’s number one seaside beach resort in Calamity Jane (I also watch her vlogs). But any question she has been cast for her name rather than her talents were put out of my mind in the first five minutes.

Carrie delivered a remarkably powerful and versatile performance both vocally and comedically, nailing the inner ambition yet vulnerability of a woman battered by life and her narcissistic and abusive, husband. There are difficult tropes tackled here, from the aforementioned physical, sexual, and emotional abuse to unwanted pregnancy and infidelity. Carrie shone and raised the roof with her nuanced take on Jenna.

But there was enormous talent on the stage generally at Winter Gardens Blackpool for this production with music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Sara Bareilles, based on the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly. The character chemistry between Jenna, Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Dawn ( Evelyn Hoskins) was immense and critical but without the impressive ensemble wielding cakes and cups of flour while singing and dancing, the magical and otherworldly impact of the performance would not be possible.

The transition between thoughts and dreams and dialogues were seamless and very clever, producing a voyeuristic glimpse into Jenna’s motivations and character which makes the audience instantly invested. The impressive set twists and turns are not for the faint hearted and involve a lot of throwing and catching and hand/eye co-ordination so the cast multi-tasked to the max.

It’s important to mention that although Carrie arguably carries this production with her stand out solos, Evelyn and Sandra are also both more than leading lady-worthy in their own right. Evelyn is laugh out loud brilliant as the socially awkward and geeky Dawn, her acting and physical character performance as strong as her singing voice, which is saying something. And Sandra as Becky is hard to look at without laughing - she’s fab - even before she gets out her showstopping vocals.

Les Dennis plays a small but critical role as curmudgeonly Old Joe, who owns the diner but acts as a listening ear for Jenna, providing accurate and important observations and advice to the conflicted character. It’s strange hearing him with an American accent and my plus one (my sister) didn’t even realise it was our Les until I pointed it out afterwards. You can’t argue with his versatility across his more than 50 year career. He brings a warmth and joy to this role and, by jove, the audience loved him.

Witty and warm with a stonking amount of showstopping songs and just the right amount of added sugar.

Waitress plays in Blackpool until July 18.