INTERNATIONAL hit musical Waitress will tour the UK for the first time next year. Bradford Alhambra will play host to the feelgood show, adapted from Adrienne Shelley’s 2007 movie, on May 3-8.

Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes to happiness.

But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life. A spokesman said: “This beautiful musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.”

Music and lyrics for Waitress are written by Grammy Award-winning, singer-songwriter sensation Sara Bareilles, who recently appeared on the Graham Norton TV show performing the hit song from the show She Used To Be Mine.

With a book by Jessie Nelson, direction by Tony-award winner Diane Paulus and choreography by Lorin Latarro, Waitress has garnered multiple awards and nominations in both America and the UK, receiving acclaim from both audiences and critics alike.

Waitress opened on Broadway in April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran until January this year. The show celebrated its official opening night at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End 2019, and is also set to open in Australia, Holland and Japan.

Sara Bareilles first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit Love Song, which reached number one in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice.

Since then, Sara has gone on to receive seven Grammy nominations, two Tony nominations and three Emmy nominations, recently winning a Grammy for Best American Roots Performance in 2020.

Sara’s book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released in 2015 and became a New York Times bestseller. Making her Broadway debut, Sara composed the music and lyrics for Waitress, and made her Broadway acting debut in 2017 by stepping into the Shaw’s lead role.

Recently, Sara teamed up with Apple as an executive producer for Little Voice, a 10-episode series, which she will create the original music for.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk to book tickets for Waitress.