Sugar, butter, flour... Waitress the Musical has arrived in Stoke and what a sumptuous production it is.

Starring talented West End seasoned actress Carrie Hope Fletcher in the lead as Jenna, the musical is a feast of lovable characters and emotional antics.

The story revolves around the very likeable Jenna and her mundane life as a waitress in Joe’s Diner. The only joy she gets is from her fabulous pie baking talents - and her interactions with her quirky colleagues and customers. A surprise pregnancy - and a meeting with the attractive Dr Pomatter (played by Dan Partridge), takes Jenna’s life in a completely unexpected direction.

Featuring a moving narrative, wonderful songs, comic elements and life affirming sentiments, Waitress is essentially a story about an ordinary woman whose loss of her beloved mother has driven her to excel in baking great pies - and how her talent ultimately leads her to a better existence in a mundane and often heartbreaking world. 

From the get go, the talented cast have the audience fully engaged. Sandra Marvin is powerful and fabulously sassy as Becky - the type of friend and ally anyone would want in their lives. Evelyn Hoskins is super funny as Dawn, who, desperate for love and displaying eccentric mannerisms, meets her match in the equally bizarre Ogie - played hilariously by Mark Anderson. Mark Willshire is convincingly menacing as Jenna’s brutish and unreasonable husband Earl who eventually gets his comeuppance and Dan O’Brien plays Jenna's boss Cal with the characteristic dour disposition of anyone who has a multitude of employees to deal with.

Growth, love, friendship and harsh decision making is at the heart of Waitress. A key determinant in this process is Jenna's friendship with Old Joe played by the wonderful Les Dennis. He is just perfect in his portrayal of a grumpy old man with a heart of gold. It’s so good to see him on stage turning Jenna’s dreams into reality in a most surprising way.

Now in its 10th Anniversary year, Waitress remains hugely popular as the packed audience as last night’s show in the Potteries proved. 

Five stars

Reviewed by Carol Lovatt at Stoke's Regent Theatre on Monday 6 July. Waitress continues to show at the venue until Saturday 11 July.