'Waitress' set to close in January
Shoshana Bean is currently playing the title role in "Waitress." Credit: Matt Murphy
Better get those pie orders in quick. The Sara Bareilles musical "Waitress" is closing shop on Jan. 5, after running more than three years on Broadway. The show, based on the 2007 indie film, follows a waitress in a Southern diner who is trapped in an abusive marriage and finds inspiration and possible salvation in her baking.
"It is such a bittersweet moment," said Bareilles in a statement. "I am reflecting upon this enormously magical time with a tremendous amount of gratitude." She thanked the cast, crew and especially fans "who have made this chapter as sweet as it ever could have been."
Jessie Mueller starred in the show when it opened on April 24, 2016, but Bareilles was among a number of replacements over the years, along with Betsy Wolfe, Katharine McPhee, Nicolette Robinson and the current star Shoshana Bean. The show was nominated for four Tonys, but won none. When it closes at the Brooks Atkinson, where it has become the theater's longest-running musical, it will have played 33 previews and 1,544 regular performances.
