Next week, the touring cast of “Waitress” will stop into the Peoria Civic Center for two shows at the Prairie Home Alliance Theater on Oct. 6-7.
The four-time Tony Award nominee debuted on Broadway in 2016 and is in the midst of its first US tour since 2019. The show was one of the first in Broadway history to have the top four creative roles in a musical all be held by women.
Based on the 2007 film of the same name, the show follows three waitresses – Jenna, Dawn and Becky – as they work at a small-town pie diner in the American south.
As the musical unfolds, each woman navigates her own complicated love story. Dawn stumbles into a quirky romance after a blind date, while Becky takes a more pragmatic approach to relationships. Jenna, meanwhile, finds herself in a messy, exciting and, at times, deeply touching affair.
But through it all, the waitresses keep coming back to their friendship with each other. Their bond becomes one of the musical’s most meaningful threads, showing how women support one another through the highs and lows of life.
Becky Alex, who plays Dawn in the touring production, spoke about the relationship between the three leads.
“It feels like a team sport with the three of us when we’re on stage,” she said.
Alex continued, discussing the importance of the production being led by women.
“This show has always, from the start, been a celebration of women’s voices. It’s always been a story by women, about women. The story is about women, and it’s about motherhood, and it’s about friendship, and it’s necessary in this day and age to have something that celebrates women in that way.”
For Alex, much of the joy of the production is not only getting to tell the story, but to see how it inspires the people who need to hear it most.
“At our show yesterday in Little Rock, we could see these two women were dressed up in our waitress outfits, and it just hit all three of us. This is such a special show for so many people across the country. I feel so grateful to be a part of that.”
“Waitress” is a story about overcoming obstacles and finding who you are, and Alex wants the audience to walk out of the performance with that understanding.
“I would love people to walk away from this feeling like, this is their one and only life, and do with it whatever you want. Follow your heart, always. Be grateful and acknowledge the sisters and the friends and the families — whether by blood or by choice. That is how we get through life. With our people.”
With just one week until “Waitress” is “Opening Up,” you can purchase tickets to the production at the Peoria Civic Center here.
