I'd say that feminism, Sara Bareilles, and Broadway are all pretty far up on a list of my favorite things, so imagine my delight to hear that something that includes all three, the upcoming musical Waitress , is set to make history with its all-female team. Oh, hell yes. And, also, hell no, of course, because it's 2015, and this is the first time a show will premiere with women in all the top creative roles. But, for now, let's focus on the "hell yes" part, because this is amazing news! Huge, huge deal.
This achievement was unlocked by the hiring of Lorin Latarro as choreographer, filling out the existing trifecta of a female writer, Jessie Nelson, female director, Diane Paulus, and female composer, Sara Bareilles. And, in case all that lady firepower moving and shaking behind the scenes doesn't impress you, the show also has a female star, Jessie Mueller, who already has a Tony under her belt for her portrayal of Carole King in the musical Beautiful.
We legitimately could not be in better hands as we make Broadway history here, ladies and gentlemen. I gotta run outside real quick to go scream into the sun with joy right now, but here's a quick thought from Bareilles while I'm gone: "It’s really fun to be an example of the way it can look. We are deeply committed to finding a way to build a unified vision." I SEE YOUR VISION I SEE IT ALL! I was already pretty excited about this show, based as it is on the 2007 film of the same name starring Keri Russell, but now it's all I can do to keep myself from lining up now for tickets.
Which... would be jumping the gun a bit, considering the show doesn't open for previews until Mar. 26, 2016, and regular performances on Apr. 24. But this show is deserving of all the enthusiasm we can muster up, because it's flying in the face of some very depressing numbers over there on the Great White Way; according to the League of Professional Theatre Women, just 28 percent of shows were written by ladies in the 2013-2014 season, and the website The Interval reports that it's even worse on the directing side, with just one of 10 new musicals last season getting the touch of a female director. Eeek. Not great.
But, instead of wallowing in that, let's celebrate this as the momentous occasion that it is, and get to work learning all the songs from the musical now so we have them memorized when it comes time for Waitress to rake in awards at the Tonys.
Image: Giphy
