The Cast Photo by Jeff Butchen

In the leading role of Jenna, Abigail Sparrow gives a powerful performance and she sings the score sensationally. She also provides the anchor for the production, grounding it but also frequently allowing it to soar to the heights.

On the shiny, inviting set of a diner, by Kristen Martino, where Jenna and her fellow waitresses work, the opening songs, "What's Inside" and "Opening Up" help establish Jenna's mastery of making pies, as well as the overall mood at the diner. Amma Osei, as Becky, and Shaylen Harger, as Dawn, are the other waitresses and both actresses shine in their roles. Osei brings a lot of temperament and zesty fun to the production, but she is also fantastic singing the dramatic song, "I Didn't Plan It" in the second act. Harger is a wonder and she imbues Dawn with a quirky and warm personality that is irresistible.

The very funny Joseph Torello plays Cal, the head cook, and there is a hilarious moment late in the show when he tries to say something about six or seven times and finally gives up when he can't find the words. In the basically thankless role of Jenna's controlling husband, Earl, the confident Cody Jenkins brings everything he can and shares a frightening duet with Sparrow, called "You Will Still Be Mine."

John Alejandro Jeffords is pretty great as Dr. Pomatter, particularly strong in the songs "It Only Takes a Taste" and the touching "You Matter to Me," which he sings with Sparrow. Jeffords is a lanky actor and he turns that idiosyncrasy into quite an asset. Still, if there is one scene stealer in Waitress, it is the joyous Wesley Slade as Dawn's slightly odd boyfriend Ogie. Slade turns the riotous "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" into a show stopper (complete with dandy choreography) and he also sparks the strangely titled, "I Love You Like a Table."

The costumes by Leslie Bernstein help to give each character a certain look and personality. The effective lighting by Dalton Hamilton is brilliant in differentiating the various scenes, including moments when Jenna remembers learning to make pies with her mother. The offstage band, led by the masterful music director Nicholas Connors, brings out all of the colors and feelings in the score.

Waitress is a show that counts a lot on feelings and emotions, and it is the rare musical that can make you wipe away tears just as you start laughing at a joke. In the smallest role in the show, the skillful David Sitler is Jenna's favorite customer and the owner of the diner and, without giving anything away, he figures significantly in the overall plot. Waitress is a winner of a show at A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut and, like Jenna's pies, it is most definitely worth savoring.

Waitress runs through June 22, 2025, at A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, 36 Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield CT. For tickets and information, please visit www.actofct.org or call the box office at 475-215-5433.