'Waitress' Rises from the Ashes with a Bold, Beautiful Turn at the Ritz

In early April, just weeks before opening night, a fire inside Players by the Sea’s Studio Theatre set off the sprinkler system. The flames were quickly put out — but not before smoke and water left the building in ruins. Rehearsals for Waitress had been underway for weeks. The set was built. The cast was ready. And then, everything stopped.

For a time, it wasn’t clear whether the show could go on at all. But in true theatre fashion, a door opened just as another closed. Players found an unexpected stage at the historic Ritz Theatre & Museum in LaVilla — a space with its own long history of survival and reinvention. It’s a fitting match for Waitress, a story about rebuilding from the mess life leaves behind.

Waitress is based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie film — a quiet, quirky story that found a second life onstage with a soaring score by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles. At its heart is Jenna, a waitress and expert pie baker stuck in a loveless marriage and a go-nowhere town. Her only escapes are the pies she invents, each one a recipe laced with whatever emotion she can’t say out loud. When an unplanned pregnancy and a flirtation with her awkward new doctor shake up her routine, Jenna begins to imagine a different future — one where she’s the one writing the recipe for her life.

The musical leans into that blend of sweetness and struggle, pairing Bareilles’ emotionally rich songs with a script that balances sharp humor and quiet heartbreak. Written by Jessie Nelson, the book grounds the show in real, complicated characters — especially the women who lift each other up when life pulls them down. Jenna’s journey is messy, often funny and quietly radical, exploring what it means to choose yourself in a world that constantly asks women to shrink. Waitress also made Broadway history as the first musical with an all-female lead creative team — a distinction that feels deeply embedded in its voice, its heart and its honesty.

As Jenna, Raquel Clory delivers a performance that feels lived-in and quietly luminous. From her first moments on stage, Jenna’s weariness is clear: the kind of exhaustion that seeps into your bones after too many years spent quietly enduring. Clory doesn’t need dramatic gestures to convey this; her presence alone speaks volumes, revealing long-held dreams, quiet frustrations and the courage simmering just beneath the surface. Her Southern accent is grounded, effortless and true. Her voice, rich, aching and powerful, carries every ounce of Jenna’s hope and heartbreak. Yet Clory’s performance isn’t all sorrow. There’s a flicker beneath her tired exterior, a joy she’s barely holding in, as if she’s waiting for permission to finally let it out.

When the time comes for Jenna to fight for herself, Clory doesn’t hesitate. She lands those pivotal moments with clarity and strength — a woman who has finally recognized her worth and refuses to let it slip away again.

The supporting cast is equally strong, each character adding depth and nuance to the story. Shauna Akers shines as Dawn, Jenna’s quirky best friend and fellow waitress. Akers perfectly captures Dawn’s anxious charm and sweet awkwardness, bringing levity to the show while also grounding it in real emotion. Her portrayal is both funny and deeply relatable, a careful blend of vulnerability and optimism. Rashawnda Campbell delivers an honest, raw performance as Becky, the third member of their tight-knit trio. Campbell infuses Becky with a fierce, unapologetic energy, but beneath that bold exterior is a deep vulnerability that she reveals piece by piece, creating some of the show’s most compelling moments.

Johnathan Spencer brings just the right amount of gruff charm to Cal, the diner’s cook and resident lovable asshole. He barks orders, rolls his eyes and pretends not to care, but it’s all a front. Underneath the sarcasm and side comments is someone who sees more than he lets on. Spencer plays that balance beautifully, giving us a Cal who’s rough around the edges but full of heart.

Jack Davis as Earl is terrifying and frighteningly recognizable. He’s a disaster, a walking mess of contradictions, insecurities and barely contained rage, yet somehow achingly human. Davis layers Earl’s explosive anger with subtle moments that hint at a mile-long backstory, painting a simultaneously sympathetic and chilling portrait of “a man who can’t love.”

In sharp contrast is Cole Marshall’s Dr. Pomatter, whose performance is a total delight. Marshall’s comedic physicality is exceptional, bringing a childlike, endearing clumsiness to the role. His infatuation with Jenna is sweetly genuine, blending mature affection with moments of youthful awkwardness and pure, unabashed joy.

Meanwhile, Noble Lester gives a masterclass in subtlety as Joe. He finds precisely the right balance between understated wit and theatrical flourish, landing every cutting remark and well-timed side-eye perfectly. Lester’s dry humor hits every beat with pinpoint accuracy, delivering laughs with a natural ease that makes them even more satisfying.

Then there’s Neal Thorburn’s Ogie, whose goofy charm and impeccable physical comedy earn some of the evening’s biggest laughs. Thorburn smartly tones down Ogie’s eccentricities just enough to keep him believable, making it even funnier and more satisfying, when he fully embraces the character’s delightfully over-the-top moments.

For a show that lost its home mid-rehearsal and bounced between borrowed spaces, Waitress landed at the Ritz Theatre with remarkable confidence. Under the direction of Jereme Raickett and musical direction by Tina Wilson, the production feels lived-in, cohesive and full of life. Every cast member brings a distinct flavor to their role, making these well-known characters feel fresh without losing their essence. Raickett and Wilson give the performers plenty of room to explore — dramatically and vocally — but know exactly when to rein things in, shaping moments of real ensemble magic.

Bradley Akers’ scenic design is both clever and kinetic. Modular, mobile set pieces roll, rotate and fly in and out with near-breathless momentum, creating seamless transitions that never feel rushed. The diner feels real — lived-in, warm, familiar — while still giving space for the emotional weight of the story to land. For a production built under uncertain circumstances, it never once feels like a compromise.

Born out of chaos, shaped in borrowed spaces and brought to life on an unfamiliar stage, this Waitress somehow feels effortless. What makes it remarkable isn’t just the talent onstage — though there’s plenty — but the fact that it exists at all. Players by the Sea didn’t just salvage a production. They turned a crisis into something bold, moving and beautifully human.

Waitress runs Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18 at the Ritz Theatre.

For more information, full cast and crew credits and links to tickets, visit the Waitress page here on JaxPlays.