Celebrating its 10th anniversary and playing to sell-out audiences on a UK tour, Waitress is proof that a sensational show will just run and run. And Waitress certainly is a sensational show.

Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher) bakes pies and works as a waitress in a diner. Stuck in a dead-end job with a no-good husband, she dreams of a better life. An unplanned pregnancy and the presence of a dishy young doctor complicate her situation, but ultimately, with a little help from her friends, this determined young woman sorts out her life and looks to a brighter future.

Just like one of Jenna’s perfect pies, Waitress contains all the ingredients to delight: wonderful songs, sharp dialogue, slick choreography and an outstanding set. Moments of laugh-out-loud comedy contrast with images of sadness and despair, taking the audience on rollercoaster ride of emotion as we follow the characters on their ultimately inspiring journeys.

The cast is superb. As Jenna, Carrie Hope Fletcher shows just why she’s one of the best-loved names in musical theatre today. She is perfectly cast in a role which calls for girl-next-door niceness combined with large dose of courage.

Jenna’s fellow waitresses, Becky (Sandra Marvin) and Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins), provide splendid support as our heroine navigates her somewhat complicated situation, but they have their own stories to tell too, and they do so with aplomb. Marvin steals the show with her powerful rendition of I Didn’t Plan It, and her upbeat, can-do attitude to life is infectious. Hoskins plays Dawn, desperate for love but uncertain how to find it, with just the right amount of reticence and vulnerability. To watch her developing relationship with the equally socially awkward Ogie (Mark Anderson) is a joy, and we cannot fail to be delighted when all turns out well in the end.

The male roles in the show are similarly perfectly cast, and each adds their own individual colour to the tale. Dr Pomatter (Dan Partridge) and diner-manager Cal (Dan O’Brien) provide welcome diversion for Jenna and Becky respectively, and grumpy old man Joe (Les Dennis) proves to have a heart of gold.

Added to the mix is Jenna’s dead-beat husband Earl (Mark Willshire), the villain of the piece. Impressive performances by all the actors in the male supporting roles only add to the heart-warming spectacle that this show becomes.

Waitress is a complete joy. It is witty, poignant, upbeat and life-affirming. With spot-on casting, a fantastic score and a tale as sweet as Jenna’s Mermaid Marshmallow Pie, anybody lucky enough to get hold of a ticket is definitely in for a treat.

Five stars

Waitress was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Tuesday 28 April at Birmingham Hippodrome, where it shows until Saturday 2 May.